Killer whales targeting sea lions off Southern California

Orcas Gone Wild: Now playing in vivid color off Southern California.

On Tuesday afternoon as many as a dozen mammal-eating "transient" killer whales were encountered by passengers and crews of whale-watching boats running from Dana Point in Orange County.

A sea lion kill had been made. Orcas were feeding on the carcass. But that's not all. The killer whales were in a mood: They spy-hopped, lob-tailed and breached. One turned upside down directly beneath a boat. One performed a back flip before awed spectators, as though it had been trained at Sea World.

But there's more. On Sunday, 130 miles to the north off Oxnard, fishermen might have seen one of the same killer whales. A sea lion kill had been made here, too, and this orca was seen using its tail fluke to hurl the sea lion carcass through the air as though it were a baseball being pitched over the plate.

"It was truly amazing to watch," wrote Tom Mattusch, in an email that was forwarded to this website by a friend. "He would swim under the floating seal and bat it with his tail. He did this about 10 times before swimming away leaving the seal behind."

Tom's friend Marc Gorelnik shot an amazing sequence of photos, one of which accompanies this story. I'd have suspected this as being contrived but Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a killer whale researcher, has identified the killer whale as a young male who is presumably orphaned and has been seen with other small groups of transient orcas.

The researcher also ID'd some of the orcas seen off Dana Point. One was an adult female cataloged as CA 138, a.k.a "Scratchy," who was first documented off Monterey in 1995. With her was two offspring, including a calf born this year. Also ID'd, based on dorsal fin and saddle shapes and markings, were five other killer whales spanning three generations.

The young whales, most likely, were learning to regard sea lions as prey and how to dispatch them. Transient killer whales, however, are not frequent visitors to Southern California, so this is an exciting time  for scientists and whale-watchers.

If you'd like to venture out in search of the sleek predators here are some good options:

Dana Wharf Fishing and Whale Watching and Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari in Orange County. Harbor Cruises in Long Beach and Condor Cruises in Santa Barbara.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo:  "Copyright 2010 Marc Mager Gorelnik, all rights reserved"

Comments

[Anonymous]

I saw whales at oxnard shores beach this afternoon before sunset :)

[Killer Orca Whales]

Apparently killer whales will eat absolutely anything. Some of the animals which have been found in the stomachs of orcas during research are: sharks, penguins, otters, turtles, a moose!, reptiles, sea lions, birds, walruses, other whales and dolphins.

[EDDIE REYES OF HOODSPACEMUSIC]

HI MY NAME IS ERICK AND WE INCOUNTERD SOME KILLERS WHALES OF THE COAST OF OXNARD CA I WANNA SAY 40 OF THEM WE SHOT FOOTAGE FROM THE AIR AS WE WERE SHOOTING OUR MUSIC VIDEO WITH ARTIST IN THE CHOPPER DOWN(AKA)KILO AND UP AND COMING RAPPER BABAYSTOCKS FROM THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

[Rerto Jordans]

Underwater world is watching how! With all the fish and other sea, is boundless! The voice TingHai quietly how wonderful!

[Jeff Krieger]

Finally mother nature thinning the herd! Need that pod of Orcas to take up residency in my opinion. Let the games begin, feed on!

[anonymous]

I want to see the rest of the pictures that Marc took of this event. Pretty awesome.

[тαмιℓιαηρσηηυ]

I am so fascinated by these brilliant sea creatures but at the same time I feel sorry for harbor seals who are susceptible to these Orcas! Such an awesome flick! Thank you so much for sharing!