Continental shelf Killer Whales were on the hunt today as the entire family foraged along the edges of the shelf and further into the Patch to find their meals. Magnificent Maleko was the first big male Orca to great us today as he cruised passed and showed off his impressive dorsal fin, cutting through the water beautifully. A small amount of food was being carried by the calves as they played and frolicked together with much excitement. The food appeared to be that of squid and the calves seemed thrilled to have a small morsel of this delicious meal to play with, almost like a group of puppies teasing each other with a tennis ball. The playful displays amongst the calves were overseen by babysitter Miro as she kept a close eye on the little ones and their cheeky antics.
The day continued with similar fashion as the calves played while the adults including big male Chalky worked together in a persistent search for that next meal. The calves didn’t mind waiting and spent most of the time chasing each other around which kept Miro very busy, not an easy day babysitting for her today! The rest of the family would surface together and it was a beautiful sight in the sunshine as their bodies shimmered with the sun before that next foraging dive down to the depths. Another small amount of food was shared and it wasn’t until the early afternoon that a bigger, more substantial meal was captured which resulted in a strong oil slick. A beautiful day observing the continental shelf Killer Whales move through their preferred hunting grounds.
