Types of Whales in Our Waters

Orca (Killer) Whales
The orca (or killer whale) is the most common whale found in the Victoria area. The orca is the largest dolphin and is shiny black with white patches above and behind each eye, on its chin and throat extending along its belly. The orca has a characteristic dorsal fin. The male's dorsal fin can measure up to six feet and is larger than the dorsal fin of the female. The male averages 27 feet and weighs up to 11 tons; the female is up to 23 feet and eight tons. The orca is an extremely fast swimmer, exceeding speeds of 30 miles per hour. It often spyhops (raises its head to view aerial surroundings) and breaches (jumps out of the water), making it a wonder for whale watchers. Its blow is up to 10 feet high and often has a loud, explosive sound.

The orca whale has a well-established family structure, travelling in groups (called pods) all its life. Each pod contains up to 30 or 40 whales and is structured around the oldest female, with males remaining in their mothers' pods. These groups communicate vocally underwater and each pod uses a slightly different dialect. Males may not reach maturity until the age of 15 to 20 years and live 45 to 60 years. Female orcas live to 55 to 70 years. The female has a gestation period of 15 months and calves at intervals of 3 years.

Gray Whales
The gray whale is mottled gray in colour, with numerous white, yellow or orange patches of barnacles and parasites around the blowhole, on top of the head and on the forward part of its back. Males are 35 to 50 feet, and 28 to 38 tons; females are 42 to 50 feet and 34 to 38 tons. Gray whales live 60 to 80 years. A single calf is born every other year. The gray whale was nearly hunted to extinction in the early 1900's, but its numbers have recovered well since the hunting of gray whales was banned in 1947. There are more than 23,000 gray whales in the world and they have been removed from the Endangered Species List. Migrating gray whales are best seen from the Pacific Rim region of Vancouver Island.

Humpback Whales
The humpback whale can be seen to the north of Vancouver Island; it is black with white patches on the flippers, bottom surface of the tail flukes and body. Males average 47 feet and females average 49 feet. Weight ranges from 25 to 45 tons. The humpback's head is flattened and its flippers are the biggest of any species. These large whales can stay submerged for about 30 minutes, but are usually underwater for shorter periods. They are highly acrobatic animals who breach repeatedly and have a spectacular blow of 10 to 13 feet, ending in a beautiful haze of spray. They feed on krill and schooling fish such as herring, mackerel and cod. The humpback is usually found in small groups but has been known to be in a group as large as 200. It mates every two or more years and, after a year’s gestation period, a 15-foot, 2-ton calf is born. Due to commercial whaling, only about 2000 of these whales are found in the Northern Pacific. Now an endangered and protected species, its numbers are slowly increasing. Fortunately, many humpbacks are accessible to whale watchers.

Minke Whales
The minke whale can sometimes be spotted around Vancouver Island; it has a dorsal fin similar to the female orca, but the fin is smaller and positioned far back on its body. The minke reaches lengths of up to 32 feet and is a baleen filter feeders.