Minke whales are elusive and small - the smallest of the baleen whales. Adults range in length from 43 to 49 feet and can weigh up to 40 tons. Many stop off in Washington’s inland waters on their way north. Like humpback whales, gray whales migrate from tropical regions north to polar waters each year.
They have made a dramatic comeback to the Salish Sea in recent years, and are now seen in larger numbers. Humpback whales are baleen whales, eating mostly krill and small fish. They travel nearly 10,000 miles annually and live to be 45 to 50 years old. Humpbacks feed in Arctic waters during the summer and migrate to tropical or subtropical regions to breed and give birth. As with the orcas, individual whales can be identified. The humpback is known for its distinctive surface behaviors, and are a treat to observe. Sadly, we did not see a humpback whale on our trip Transient Orcas are seen throughout the Puget Sound and Salish Sea, mainly during the summer months. The transient orcas have a more pointed dorsal fin than the residents and are also called Bigg’s orcas in honor of cetologist Michael Bigg. They travel in groups of between two and six individuals, but their family bonds aren’t as tight as those of the resident pods. Unlike the Southern Resident Orcas, transient orcas eat mostly mammals - from harbor seals and porpoises to minke whales and gray whale calves. Transient orcas travel between Southern California to the Arctic circle. Here’s some video footage of a superpod filmed by Puget Sound Express on. Occasionally, all three pods get together for a greeting ceremony known as a superpod. The K Pod is the smallest of the Southern Residents, with 18 members, and the L Pod is the largest, with 35 members. Just this month, the J Pod experienced another tragedy when Scarlett (J50) went missing after months of declining health. She carried the calf’s body around for 17 days and over 1,000 miles. First for the mourning swim of J35, whose newborn calf died just after birth. There are 22 members in the J Pod, which has been featured extensively in the news as of late. J Pod is the most commonly seen in the Puget sound, often around the San Juan Islands and the Southern Gulf Islands. Because the salmon numbers are dwindling in the Salish Sea, the Southern Resident Orcas are listed as endangered by the U.S.
Unlike transient killer whales, the Southern Residents eat mostly salmon, and each pod uses a unique dialect of calls that are not used by other orca communities. The pods are further divided into sub-pods centered around older females. The Southern Resident Orcas are made up of three pods, J, K, and L, who inhabit the Salish Sea year-round. Here’s a brief overview of the whales you can expect to see on a Puget Sound whale watching excursion. They are magnificent animals, even personable, and the Puget Sound Express naturalists know many of them by name. There is a huge variety of marine life in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea, but the most exciting encounters are with orca and humpback whales. This is Mike (J26), a Southern Resident Orca that we saw on our trip.