A week of whale news

We don't see this often, so it was big news when a gray whale washed up on a private beach near West Seattle. I didn't go down to see him-- this picture is from the local blog. After much toil and trouble, he was finally towed away at high tide for an autopsy. I heard on the news they found a pair of sweatpants, 20 plastic plastic bags, a golf ball and other "miscellaneous things" in the poor creature's belly, but cause of death was still inconclusive.

Gray whales migrate through Puget Sound each spring, and some individuals are even recognized by name. Most are close to starvation when they get here, having spent 4 or 5 months in southern waters with nothing to eat. Passing through Puget Sound, they have to contend with heavy shipping and industrial waters. Not to mention, pants and bags.

Another unfortunate gray whale was in the news last week after being attacked by a pod of transient British Columbia orcas (killer whales) off Whidbey Island. It was witnessed and filmed by a boatload of shocked whale-watchers. This particular whale is a favorite known as "Patch," and his comings and goings in Puget Sound have been followed since 1991. The British Columbia orcas have a taste for mammals, and prey on the gray calves as they cruise north with their mothers, although attacks on adults are rare. Our Puget Sound resident orcas prefer to eat Chinook salmon, not mammals.

But as we know from other grisly news, killer whales are intelligent and unpredictable animals, and sometimes do bad things "just for fun." The B.C. transient orcas rammed poor "Patch" several times, and he rolled on his back in front of the tour boat to protect himself. It is unknown how badly he was hurt, but he was spotted later resting in shallow water, and seemed to be OK.