A whale-watching trip in California’s Monterey Bay got a special treat on Sunday morning when they spotted a critically endangered Pacific right whale. According to KSBW News, Captain Pualani Dalton was steering the Point Sur Clipper when he spotted what he said is “One of the rarest whales in the world, estimated at only 32 individuals along the Pacific coast.”
Seeing a whale so special is a tremendously unique occurrence. This was the first time that a Monterey Bay Whale Watching tour has ever seen a Pacific right since the organization began operations in 1997. The whale remained at the surface of the water and was visible for roughly 15 minutes. Because the species is so critically endangered, anytime they’re seen in the wild the instance gets reported to researchers. The species has been listed as endangered since 1970. It’s likely that are fewer than 500 right whales left in the world.
Rare ‘December’ Blue Whale Spotted Off California Around Christmas Time
The sighting of a magnificent blue whale off the coast of California was a rare but awesome surprise for boaters and videographers on another Monterey Bay Whale Watching trip back in December. this whale-watching tour. It was a long way from where the species is usually found that time of year. It’s something the whale-watching operation was very excited about. “Starting off our AM trip we had a very friendly humpback that approached that vessel on its own while we sat in neutral with the engines off and gave us quite an amazing ‘mugging’ for over an hour! Then on the way back into the harbor, we encountered a rare December blue whale!!”
Blue whales are the largest animals on earth. They can grow up to lengths of almost 100 feet, which is about on par with the size of a Boeing 737 Aircraft. That is also a comparable length to three school buses. Research has actually determined that it might be physically impossible for another creature on earth to get bigger than the species. Any species bigger than a big blue likely would not be able to intake enough food to metabolically exist.
Whales mostly attract nature enthusiasts to the coast of California in the summer. Whale-watching tours are a big part of the tourism industry in the state’s coastal waters. Seeing a blue whale in that area this time of the year was a pleasant but ecologically confusing surprise.
Monterey Bay Whale Watching Tour Thrilled About Blue Whale
“A blue whale is typically something we see in the summertime,” said Evan Brodsky with Monterey Bay Whale Watches. Blue whales usually spend this time of year in the warmer waters off the coast of Central America.
“This past summer we saw a blue whale on maybe one out of every five trips. There are only about 10,000 blue whales left in the entire Pacific Ocean. Blue whales use Monterey as a feeding ground to feed on krill in the summer. In the winter they usually migrate south. Spending time in warmer waters to mate and give birth. To see one in our area in December is very rare. Blue whales are an endangered animal as it is. They are not as common as the humpback whales we usually see every day.”
