Pods of killer whales also known as orcas
Four killer whales were spotted swimming together off the coast of Massachusetts on Sunday. new york post informed of. The unique view was captured by scientists at the New England Aquarium as the research team conducted an aerial survey on June 13 about 40 miles south of the tiny island.
The picture was shared on the aquarium’s Twitter account with the caption, “A strange sight from the sky: Four #KillerWhales swimming together! Last Sunday, aquarium scientists spotted four #orcas on an #aerialsurvey 40 miles south of Nantucket. According to our scientists, it is unusual to see killer whales in New England waters, let alone four!
See picture here:
A unique sight from the sky: Four #killer whales swim together!
Last Sunday, scientists at the Aquarium saw four #orcas on one #aerialsurvey 40 miles south of Nantucket. According to our scientists, it is unusual to see a killer whale in New England waters, let alone four! pic.twitter.com/BB7ndov5Up
— New England Aquarium (@NEAQ) June 13, 2023
The pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, was first spotted by Katherine McKenna, an assistant research scientist.
“Initially I could only see two splashes ahead of the plane. As we circled the area, two whales surfaced too quickly to tell what they were. On the third surface, we got a good look and we could see the color of the earlier story. The large dorsal fin broke the surface,” Ms McKenna said in a statement.
The pod contained one adult male, one adult female and two juveniles, the scientists confirmed. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, killer whales are the ocean’s top predator.
Reacting to the picture, a user said, ‘Wow. We don’t often see orcas on the East Coast in the summer months.
A third wrote, “Please take me to the sea, I want to see them.”
“Seeing them swimming in formation was unreal,” said Orla O’Brien, an associate research scientist who led the aerial survey team for the aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.
“I think seeing killer whales is particularly special for us because it unlocks that part of your childhood that wanted to be a marine biologist,” he said, adding that the species has very few populations in western North Atlantic waters. . There is only one known killer whale called “Old Thom” regularly seen in North Atlantic waters.
The team also spotted about 150 whales and dolphins during their seven-hour flight over the ocean.
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