Humpback Whale in a sea of Sea Lions

The abundance of wildlife in Monterey Bay is largely down to the enormous shoals of Anchovies that many species feed on. There is a commensal relationship between Humpback Whales and California Sea Lions. The Anchovies shoal into tight balls in an attempt to evade the Sea Lions, and the Humpback Whales gulp down these bait balls. But the whales cause the Anchovies to scatter, which makes them easier for the Sea Lions to catch them. On several occasions we saw groups of hundreds of California Sea Lions in tight formation with up to six Humpback Whales feeding among them. But the relationship goes further than this as there are many documented cases of adult Humpback Whales apparently defending Sea Lions against Orcas. Although it may be just natural antagonism between Humpbacks and Orcas as they will eat Humpback calves, and many Humpbacks have Orca bite marks in their tail flukes, like this: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/52788949687/in/photolist But there is one observation in Antarctica where a Humpback rolled on its back and allowed a seal to rest on its belly while it protected the seal with its flippers against Orcas.

Taken on: September 1, 2023

Tags:

Humpback

Whale

Sea

Lion

Megaptera novaeangliae

Zalophus

californianus

Monterey

Bay

Tim Melling « less

Sets appears in: • California 2023

Stats: 3,803 views / 32 comments

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