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Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Just the blues

I'm going to show a few more pictures from the boat trip to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank on 9 October 2016.  We were treated to some amazing views of Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that day some of the best I've had on the West Coast.  I'm excited to share these pictures with you.

Tonight's post features Blue Whales.  This is a great opportunity to compare individuals.  Look closely at the overall shade of gray, the details in the pattern of splotches along the sides, and the shapes of the dorsal fins.

[Remember that you can click on the images for larger versions.]
























Interpreting that last picture can be a little tricky.  At first, it might look like a large shark fin slicing through the water.  It's one half of the whale's flukes turned sideways as it's swimming.

In a few images above, you can see the way the pale skin of the Blue Whales appears turquoise below the surface.

2 comments:

Alice Chan said...

OMG, these are simply amazing photos of such magnificent creatures!

Jackie Sones said...

Thanks, Alice! It was indeed an amazing day at sea -- hard to beat being surrounded by Blue Whales!

Jackie