We had two encounters with pods of orcas this past week as we traveled between Juneau and Sitka, Alaska. One of these encounters happened right around sunset, with the low light backlighting the blows of the big male orcas. I love seeing their 7-8ft dorsal fins straight up as they should be and not all flopped over like you see with orcas in captivity. They move so effortlessly and really seem like they know they are the true masters as the oceans' top predator.
I still haven't found a good visual way to tell between the resident pods that are here year round, and the transients that just come through on their thousand mile journeys. There are subtle differences but the biggest is in their diet. The resident pods feed only on fish, like salmon. The transient pods are the mammal eaters, so seals, sea lions, baby whales, can all be on the menu. It is pretty wild that such a top predator has never attacked a human in the wild.
Their complex communication and social structure is also amazing to witness. We have dropped hydrophones in the water to listen to the noises below. What they are saying to each other is still a mystery but if you ever see a coordinated hunt, or social interactions within the pod you will never question the intelligence of these beautiful creatures again.
We had two encounters with pods of orcas this past week as we traveled between Juneau and Sitka, Alaska. One of these encounters happened right around sunset, with the low light backlighting the blows of the big male orcas. I love seeing their 7-8ft dorsal fins straight up as they should be and not all flopped over like you see with orcas in captivity. They move so effortlessly and really seem like they know they are the true masters as the oceans' top predator. 
I still haven't found a good visual way to tell between the resident pods that are here year round, and the transients that just come through on their thousand mile journeys. There are subtle differences but the biggest is in their diet. The resident pods feed only on fish, like salmon. The transient pods are the mammal eaters, so seals, sea lions, baby whales, can all be on the menu. It is pretty wild that such a top predator has never attacked a human in the wild. 
Their complex communication and social structure is also amazing to witness. We have dropped hydrophones in the water to listen to the noises below. What they are saying to each other is still a mystery but if you ever see a coordinated hunt, or social interactions within the pod you will never question the intelligence of these beautiful creatures again. 
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