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Transient Orcas Take Out Steller Sea Lion On 4/27/13

4/28/2013

Waking up early to rain and dark, overcast skies after a good stretch of amazing sunny, warm weather was a little undesirable, but I had a feeling something amazing was going to happen. A few minutes later, reports were coming in of groups of Transient orcas all over the place. Luckily, I was working on the "Odyssey", a San Juan Excursions whale watching boat, so I hoped we would be able to catch up with one of the groups.

We departed Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, and headed North to Spieden Island where we found some steller sea lions. A few minutes later we received a report that a group of Transients had been found by a Victoria whale watching boat only few miles away. Transients, unlike Resident orcas, eat marine mammals and this group was attacking a steller sea lion.

Steller sea lions hauled out on Spieden Island on 4/27/13.

Male steller sea lions can reach up to twelve feet long, weigh in at about 2,400 pounds and are the largest sea lions in the world. The transient orcas were going after a sea lion nearly that size so we made our way toward them. I had seen Transient orcas prey on seals before but never a sea lion, which takes much longer and there are bigger tactics used, including: ramming, full body lunging, tail strikes, blowing bubbles in the sea lions face to so it can't see while other orcas attack, belly flopping on the sea lion and more. Soon we were on scene with the Transient orcas.

Adult female T036A swipes her tail at the sea lion to the left.

The group of Transients was made up of three matrilines, with ten animals altogether. They were T036As, T049Bs and the T065As. T036A, T049B and T065A, all adult females, looked like they were teaching their young how to successfully kill a sea lion. The juveniles and calves seemed to dart in to attack the sea lion and then hang back for a while to play and watch the adults.

One of the kids lunges past the sea lion to tail slap it.

T065A3 at left, a tail slapper in the middle, and adult female T49B on the right.

T049B1 leaps past the steller sea lion.

One of the best parts of this encounter, though it was all exciting, occurred when a year-old calf called T036A2 breached out of the water but found mama spy hopping underneath... HER.. and bounced off. Yes, I said HER, because it looks like T36A2 is a little girl, although she won't be little for long!!

T036A2 bounces off her mother, T036A, while breaching!

Adult female T049B slaps the sea lion.

Adult female T065A with the steller sea lion to the left.

Adult female T065A rolls her body on top of the sea lion to strike it with her tail.

The orcas had already been attacking the sea lion for quite some time before we arrived on scene and we were with them for about thirty minutes. The sea lion was finally killed and eaten about forty minutes after we left.

One of the adult females lunges at the sea lion.

Adult female T065A strikes the sea lion in the the face, its pectoral fin visible to the right.

I had finally seen Transients take out a steller see lion! What will happen next?

Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

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J pod Group B Encounter On 2/9/13

4/27/2013

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It was the afternoon of February 9th when I got a report of orcas along the West side of San Juan Island near my house. I ran out the door with my camera to see who it was. Were they Transient orcas or the Southern Residents, and if they were the Southern Residents, was it J, K or L pod? I soon started hearing the orcas' breaths as I neared the shoreline. I scanned the water and began seeing dorsal fins, quickly identifying a male named Blackberry J27, and a female named Rhapsody, as well as other J pod members. The sight of Blackberry and Rhapsody also indicated that I was looking at Group B of J pod.

A few years ago J pod began to split into two groups, Group A and Group B.

Group A contains:

Granny J2, F (est. 1911)
Spieden J8, F (est.1933)
Samish J14, F (est.1974)
Hy'Shqa J37, F (2001)
Suttles J40, F (2004)
Se-Yi-Chn J45, M (2009)
J49, M (2012)
Shachi J19, F (1979)
Eclipse J41, F (2005)
Onyx L87, M (1992)

Onyx was born into L pod but travels with Granny and Spieden after loosing his mother, Olympia L32. To learn more about Onyx's journey to find a mother figure, read Olympia's biography here.

Group B contains:

Oreo J22, F (1985)
Doublestuf J34, M (1998)
Cookie J38, M (2003)
Rhapsody J32, F (1996)
Princess Angeline J17, F (1977)
Polaris J28, F (1993)
Tahlequah J35, F (1998)
Moby J44, M (2009)
Star J46, F (2009)
Notch J47, M (2010)
Blackberry J27, M (1991)
Tsuchi J31, F (1995)
Mako J39, M (2003)

Slick J16, F (est.1972)

Mike J26, M (1991)

Alki J36, F (1999)

Echo J42, F (2007)

These orcas are known to switch between Group A and B.

As I sat at the beach, Rhapsody began breaching and continued to launch herself out of the water 4 or 5 more times. I then got word that Princess Angeline and her family were further up island near Lime Kiln State Park. I jumped in my car and headed to the park, but just missed them making a close pass by shore only by a few minutes. Then I got a call from a friend inviting me out on his boat to see if Group A was around, too.

Rhapsody J32 breaches offshore of San Juan Island on 2/9/13.

It was only a few minutes before we were on scene with the orcas. It was Princess Angeline with her children Polaris, Tahlequah, and Moby and her grandchildren Star, and Notch. Tsuchi and Oreo were there too while Doublestuf, Rhapsody, Cookie, Blackberry and Mako were off in the distance. With no sign of any Group A members it was safe to say only Group B had come to visit the island.

Polaris could be heard vocalizing as she rested at the surface with her family and a few minutes later the orcas began to head slowly north. The kids, Notch, Moby and Star then broke off from the rest of the orcas and began playing together. They tail slapped, spy hopped, wrestled and even found a jelly fish to play with. Once they found the jelly fish, they gathered around it, pushed it, and carried it around atop their heads. Moby then threw his body into the air in a beautiful breach.

Notch J47 tail slaps.

Moby J44 and Notch J47 play together.

One of the kids carrying the jelly fish on top of his/her head.

Moby J44 breaches off of San Juan Island.

After the play session, the kids returned to their mothers and the orcas went into a pattern of traveling quickly for a few minutes and then pausing to socialize and play with each other.

Polaris J28 and Oreo J22 traveling quickly north.

Princess Angeline J17 traveling north.

After traveling from Lime Kiln State Park to Henry Island the orcas stalled out and began interacting and resting again. Tahlequah began vocalizing constantly above water and Moby found a piece of kelp which he took underwater with him before letting it shoot to the surface. One of the kids did a spy hop and a head stand, followed by another spy hop by Notch.

One of the kids spy hops while playing with family members.

Notch J47 spy hops while interacting with his family.

It was time to head back to the dock after an amazing encounter with Group B of J pod. As we were leaving, the orcas all began to turn around to head back down island and by morning had left the area.

Please do not use my photos without permission.

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Transient Orcas Take Out Steller Sea Lion On 4/27/13

J pod Group B Encounter On 2/9/13

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