Pete Thomas Outdoors

Humpback whale and newborn calf play role in man falling overboard

By Pete Thomas

A tourist in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, while flying a drone from his hotel balcony, has captured footage of a humpback whale helping to cause a man to fall overboard. Also featured in Lou Boyer's footage is a humpback whale calf born just hours earlier, and turkey vultures going after the drone.

Boyer's footage, captured Nov. 29 from Playa Grande Resort, is wonderfully narrated but here are a few observations:

The whales in question appear at 52 seconds and involve a momma humpback whale and her newborn calf – likely born the same day – and most likely a male “escort” whale.

It’s almost certainly not the father, as mentioned in the footage. Male humpbacks mate with multiple females and do not show loyalty to a single female after mating.

It’s typical for an “escort” to travel with a momma and calf, according to researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, as sort of a protector hoping, at some point, for a mating opportunity.

Also, keep an eye on the man, or person, in the pink shirt. As momma whale approaches the boat while supporting the calf on her head, the man lays down at the bow and tries to touch the calf.

As the whales swim beneath the boat toward the stern, the other people move to the port side briefly while the man in the pink shirt walks toward the stern on the starboard side.

The whale seems to be nudging the boat just before the other people rush back to the starboard side, causing the boat to sharply tilt, dumping the man overboard.

So this sudden shift of weight, perhaps more than the nudging of the vessel by the whale, appears to have led to the man falling overboard. (He was safely lifted back aboard.)

At this point, a small patch of blood appears near momma whale’s flukes. As researcher Nico Ransome pointed out via social media, the newborn calf  – note the floppiness of its flukes – and the blood could have spilled from the mother’s birth canal.

An unrelated highlight begins at 2:39, as turkey vultures begin pursuing Boyer’s drone as it’s being retrieved over the rocky landscape. At 3:18 one of the large birds swoops in and is captured on camera at close range.

Boyer, who is from Huntington Beach, Calif., took evasive measures and safely retrieved his device.

Yellowstone loses two wolf pups to vehicle strike

By Pete Thomas

Yellowstone National Park has confirmed that two wolf pups found dead on a park road last month perished as a result of an automobile strike.

The black male and female pups, which belonged to the Junction Butte Pack, were hit around sunset on the road between Tower Junction and the Northeast Entrance.

The park waited for necropsy results before making the announcement. The incident remains under investigation by Yellowstone law enforcement officials.

The Junction Butte Pack, whose territory spans from Tower Junction toward Lamar Valley, is frequently observed by tourists and its close proximity to people and roads makes the younger animals vulnerable.

The park explained in a news release that, during the summer, the pack and its pups inhabited a den near a popular hiking trail. A large area surrounding the den was made off-limits, but occasional encounters with pups occurred on the trail.

Park guidelines state that tourists must remain at least 100 yards from all wolves, but some tourists ignored the rule to get closeup photos of the pups. Others illegally entered the closed area in an attempt to view the pack, according to the park.

Some of the pups apparently became accustomed to people and began to approach them on the road.

Wildlife experts hazed the pups repeatedly over the next several months in an attempt to make them afraid of people and paved roads, but such attempts are not always successful after wild animals become habituated to humans.

“Having studied these pups since birth, I believe their exposure to, and fearlessness of people and roads could have been a factor in their death,” said Doug Smith, Yellowstone’s senior wolf biologist. “Visitors must protect wolves from becoming habituated to people and roads.

"Stay at least 100 yards from wolves, never enter a closed area, and notify a park ranger of others who are in violation of these rules.”

A park spokeswoman told For The Win Outdoors on Wednesday that the Junction Butte pack currently has 18 members: 10 adults and eight pups.

The number was 21 in early summer, but a yearling male disappeared right around the time the two pups were struck and killed.

–Images showing the Junction Butte wolf pack are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Grizzly bear, cubs killed by trains near Glacier National Park

By Pete Thomas

A grizzly bear and her two yearling cubs were killed by train strikes earlier this month near Glacier National Park.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained in a news release issued Monday that the bears had been grazing alongside railroad tracks two miles east of Marias Pass, in Glacier County, when the first collision occurred at about 4:19 a.m. on June 6.

That claimed the life of the mother bear, a 232-pound animal that was captured and released 19 years ago as part of a Glacier National Park research effort.

Her two cubs, weighing about 65 pounds apiece, were struck later on June 6 by a different train in the same area.

FWP had been investigating the strikes and could not find evidence of attractants that might have lured the bears toward the tracks. The agency has been working with other agencies and railroad companies to try to minimize these types of incidents.

More than 1,000 grizzly bears reside within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, a designated grizzly bear recovery zone that includes Glacier National Park, portions of five national forests, and parts of the Flathead and Blackfeet Indian Reservations.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Rare all-white Risso's dolphin spotted twice in past week off Monterey

By Pete Thomas

A rare white dolphin has captured the hearts of marine mammal enthusiasts in California’s Monterey Bay, where the striking mammal has been spotted at least twice within the past week.

The juvenile Risso’s dolphin, almost certainly an albino, was documented via Monterey Bay Whale Watch drone-cam Thursday as it stood out among other dolphins with typical gray coloration and scarring. (Pardon the ominous-sounding music.)

 

“This albino juvenile Risso’s dolphin has rarely been seen in Monterey,” the whale-watching company stated on Facebook. “Today, we had great looks at it and from the drone’s perspective you can see the other Risso’s swimming next to it with ‘normal’ dark gray color and scars from squid and teeth [from other Risso’s dolphins].”

RELATED: Deep-sea denizen wows scientists with bizarre displays during video encounter

On September 14, the same dolphin was photographed by Kate Cummings of Blue Ocean Whale Watch, among others. The white mammal was among hundreds of other Risso’s dolphins. Blue Ocean also logged sightings on Thursday.

The dolphin, which has earned the nickname Casper, was first photo-identified as a calf in 2014, swimming alongside its presumed mother. The mammal was spotted again in 2015, and last year. It might be the only all-white Risso’s dolphin documented around the world. (Some white-colored marine mammals are leucistic,  caused by the absence of some pigment. Albinos are all white with pink-colored eyes.)

Risso’s dolphins are unique in their appearance, featuring bulbous heads, large dorsal fins and gray, scarred bodies. They inhabit tropical and temperate waters around the world.

The large dolphins can measure to 13 feet and weigh 1,100 pounds.

–Images are courtesy of Blue Ocean Whale Watch

 

Humpback whales join surfers off Sydney, and yes, whales sometimes ride waves

Humpback whales off Sydney. Photo via Cronulla-National Surfing Reserve

By Pete Thomas

Surfers are accustomed to dolphins appearing in the lineup, but much larger whales?

The top image shows the dauntingly close proximity of two humpback whales to surfers off Cronulla Beach on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.

“A few whales sliding past the crew this morning,” reads a post on the Cronulla-National Surfing Reserve Facebook page.

Humpback ehale off Sydney. Photo via Cronulla-National Surfing Reserve

The surfers, although tightly grouped and gazing mostly in the direction of the whales, don’t seem overly concerned.

The image has been shared widely in media reports this week.

The Illawarra Mercury News stated that it’s peak whale-watching season in the area, and that a viewing platform is situated on a nearby headland.

Humpback whale mom and calf at Pipeline. Photo: ©J.T. Gray/North Shore Surf Photos

Whales sharing the lineup with surfers is a rare phenomenon, but not unprecedented.

The most impressive instance that comes to mind occurred in 2014 off the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. J.T. Gray of North Shore Surf Photos captured an image showing a humpback whale mother and calf surfing a wave at the world-famous Banzai Pipeline.

Gray explained that the whales appeared just east of the main break and rode the second wave of a set. The bodyboarder shown riding the first wave was oblivious to the presence of the whales.

Orca surfing off New Zealand. Photo: ©Ingrid Visser/Orca Research Trust

In 2016 off South Africa’s Western Cape, photographer Dave de Beer captured an image showing a surfer nearly colliding with a southern right whale, which surfaced in the face of a large wave.

The whale seemed to merely be enjoying the sensation of riding waves.

There have been several cases of orcas riding waves off New Zealand.

–Top two images are courtesy of Cronulla-National Surfing Reserve; third photo is courtesy of J.T. Gray/North Shore Surf Photos; bottom image is courtesy of ©Ingrid Visser/Orca Research Trust

 

Fin whale carcass discovered in Long Beach Harbor; a likely ship-strike victim

Juvenile fin whale carcass tied to a pier in Long Beach. Photo: ©Alisa Schulman-Janiger

By Pete Thomas

A whale carcass discovered late Wednesday inside Long Beach Harbor has been identified as fin whale.

The juvenile mammal measured 40 feet and probably was struck by a ship and brought into the harbor – unbeknownst to the crew – attached to the vessel.

“Live fin whales have never been documented inside the harbor, so that’s a likely scenario,” said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a researcher who was among those inspecting the carcass on  Thursday. “But we won’t know until we see the results of the necropsy.” 

Stranding response team headed by NOAA's Lauren De Maio (center, kneeling) watches over the carcass. Photo: ©Alisa Schulman-Janiger

A necropsy, conducted by NOAA, will be performed Friday or Saturday. 

The carcass remained tied to a West Basin pier to keep it in place. There were no visible wounds to indicate a ship strike, but much of the carcass remained submerged and was not inspected.

Schulman-Janiger, a whale researcher with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, said the whale, which was “freshly dead." The mammal was likely less than 1 year old, but had already been weaned. “So it was not taken from its mom,” the researcher said. 

Right side of the fin whale's submerged head, and open mouth. Photo: ©Alisa Schulman-Janiger

Fin whales are the second-largest whale species, behind blue whales. The sleek mammals can reach lengths of about 80 feet.

Several fin whales have been spotted recently off Long Beach. On one day during the past week, as many as eight fin whales were spotted by passengers aboard whale-watching vessels.

Fin whales, which are sometimes called “greyhounds of the sea” because of their speed, prey largely on shrimp-like krill and small fish.

Rare Iowa mountain lion killed by teenage deer hunter; 'I was in shock'

Generic mountain lion image courtesy of Justin Shoemaker/ USFWS

By Pete Thomas

An Iowa teenager on Saturday shot and killed a mountain lion that surprised the hunter as he stalked deer near Akron.

“It made a jolt toward me, and I instantly pulled the trigger,” Jacob Altena, 17, told the Des Moines Register.

Mountain lion sightings are rare in Iowa. The 80-pound female cougar, dispatched with a shot to its shoulder, becomes only the sixth mountain lion killed in Iowa, according to records kept by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Altena, who was hunting with a shotgun at dusk along the Sioux River, said he first spotted the cat in fallen timer about 15 feet to his left. “It was pretty scary,” he said. “I was in shock.”

Mountain lions, also called pumas and cougars, are not protected in Iowa.

“This was the kill of a lifetime,” Altena said.

Surfer in Australia rides over a large shark, tries in vain to warn dad; video

Video screen shot shows the shark beneath Mitch Hargreaves' sufboard

By Pete Thomas

An Australian surfer thought he had been approaching a clump of kelp, but when it developed into the shape of a shark, and began shark-like movements, he knew he was surfing directly over a fairly large shark.

Mitch Hargreaves, 19, also thought he had better warn his father, who was surfing nearby. “I tried yelling ‘shark’ through my [GoPro] mouthpiece to warn my dad and the others behind me,” Hargreaves told the Daily Telegraph. “But no one heard."

The encounter occurred last weekend at Cellito Beach in New South Wales. Hargreaves was told by locals that bull sharks had been spotted recently in the area. (Bull sharks have been implicated in dozens of attacks on humans over the years.)

Hargreaves surfed the wave to the beach, then continued to try to warn the other surfers.

“I was waving from the shore, and when they eventually came in the didn’t believe me,” he said. “Until the saw the video.”

Hargreaves’ father surfed the same spot the next day.

 

Stunning aerial footage shows orcas catching (and sharing) stingrays

Two orcas share a stingray meal in this video screen grab

By Pete Thomas

An amateur photographer has captured stunning aerial footage showing two orcas chasing and catching stingrays in shallow water off Te Horo Beach in New Zealand.

Jayven Moore, a tile worker, was visiting Te Horo with a friend and launched his drone-cam after they had spotted large dorsal fins from the beach.

“I almost wasn’t going to bother, but I’m glad I did,” Moore told Stuff New Zealand. “It was pretty amazing.”

Orca researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger told me that the killer whales in the footage are likely a mother and calf.

They’re participating in a behavior called prey sharing and, as viewers can see toward the end of the video, this doesn’t end well for a stingray being torn in half as the orcas separate.

 

Is a wolf killer on the loose in Oregon? OR-25 is latest to have been found dead

A famous Oregon wolf named OR-25 has been found dead in the Sun Pass Forest in Klamath County. The 4-year-old collared male becomes the third wolf to have been illegally killed in southern Oregon in the past year.

The carcass was discovered Oct. 29 in the Sun Pass Forest in Klamath County. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service has not revealed the cause of death, but an agency spokesman told the Mail Tribune, "It did not die of natural causes."

OR-25, originally from the Imnaha pack in northeast Oregon, gained notoriety in 2016 when his tracking collar showed him crossing into California.

Wolves are federally protected in the western two-thirds of Oregon, and all three killings have occurred within this zone.

“This is an unfortunate situation and we are concerned about it,” John Hall, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told the Idaho Statesman-Journal. “We’re going to work with our partners to try to find out what’s going on here.”

(A fourth wolf was killed in the same region recently, but the shooter was determined to have acted in self defense and was not charged.)

The USFWS is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case of OR-25. Rewards total nearly $50,000 for all three unsolved cases, which are being investigated with the help of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon State Police. 

Killing federally protected wolves can result in fines of up to $100,000 and a year in jail.  

The other cases involved wolves OR-28 and OR-33.

OR-28, a collared female, was found dead on Oct. 6, 2016, near Summer Lake. The cause of death was not released. Besides a $5,000 reward offered by the USFWS, more than $30,000 is being offered by conservation groups.

OR-33, a collared male, was found dead with a gunshot wound 20 miles north of Klamath Falls on April 23, 2017. The USFWS reward is $5,000.

Gray wolves have been expanding their territory from the northeast to the southern and southwestern portion of the state.

Though wolves prey largely on elk, deer and moose, they’re opportunistic and numerous predations involving ranchers’ livestock have been reported.

The Associated Press reports that OR-25 was believed to have killed a calf at a ranch near the town of Prospect earlier this year.

At the end of 2016, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the statewide wolf population was 112 animals.

–OR-25 file photo is Courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife