We’ve got whales!
It’s been a peculiar few months out on the North Pacific. The usual weather and wildlife patterns just aren’t showing up the way we’re used to — but honestly, it’s been different in the best way.
By late December we’re typically focused on gray whales, yet this year we’ve had humpbacks filtering through since fall. And even more surprising, we’ve been seeing some of the less common species more frequently… like Fin whales.
Today was one of those unforgettable days. After heading far west and finding very little, we turned east and located a pair of Fin whales — very likely a cow–calf pair, a mother and her baby. We traveled north with them for a long stretch as they surfaced side‑by‑side again and again.
Fin whales are known as the greyhounds of the sea — the fastest of the baleen whales — capable of hitting bursts of 29 mph. They can reach 90 feet long and weigh around 200,000 pounds.
Can you imagine?
Two hundred thousand pounds of wild animal, racing at nearly 30 mph.
The power in that is unreal.
Naturalist,
Alison
