# Orcas in the Gulf



## Xiphius (Oct 10, 2007)

Pretty cool, I saw a video of a pod of orcas 100 miles offshore but they did not get into the bow wave like these ones. Crank it up!


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

Sweet 31 Bertram. Where was that?


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## Xiphius (Oct 10, 2007)

The vid was from Pt. Aransas Texas.


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## Mellow Yellow (Oct 27, 2007)

I'm not saying there are no Orcas in the GOM, but those are definitely not Orcas in that video. They look like some kind of porpoise. Even a baby Orca would be twice the size of the porpoise in the video. Orcas also have a ridiculously long dorsal fin which on full grown males can be 6 feet tall.


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## TURTLE (May 22, 2008)

I've seen some crazy videos on youtube, do you think that is really in the Gulf?It would be cool to see something like that around here.


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## Mellow Yellow (Oct 27, 2007)

Might be one of these;



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dall's_Porpoise



Either way, they are probably lost and would be a really cool thing to see down here.


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## JLMass (Oct 1, 2007)

there orcas the check the other vid thats on the youtube side bar


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## C-monsters (Mar 28, 2008)

Cool video, but I agree with Mellow Yellow--these are not Orcas. Way too small. Male orcas are 19-26 feet long, females 16-23 feet long, and weigh between 4-6 tons. Those swimming with the boat are maybe 6-8 feet at best. There is a great chart on Wikipedia(I tried copying it and pasting here, could not seem to do it, some sort of .SVG file) comparing the size of Orcas and Dall's porpoise to humans, and it certainly seems more like a Dall's porpoise to me. Reported range of Orcas does include the Gulf however.

Where is an ichthyologist/marine biologist when we need one...


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## stringle (Oct 3, 2007)

Don't they eat porpi (or however you spell plural porpusses)

<STRIKE></STRIKE>

:hungry


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *C-monsters (8/1/2008)*Cool video, but I agree with Mellow Yellow--these are not Orcas. Way too small. Male orcas are 19-26 feet long, females 16-23 feet long, and weigh between 4-6 tons. Those swimming with the boat are maybe 6-8 feet at best. There is a great chart on Wikipedia(I tried copying it and pasting here, could not seem to do it, some sort of .SVG file) comparing the size of Orcas and Dall's porpoise to humans, and it certainly seems more like a Dall's porpoise to me. Reported range of Orcas does include the Gulf however.
> 
> 
> 
> Where is an ichthyologist/marine biologist when we need one...




There is one small one in the group and they may not be as big as 20 feet, but the one swimming upside down in front of the boat is nowhere near 8'. He'd have to be at least 12-15' based on the size of the Bertram 31 bow and the people.


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## ChrisH2O (Oct 4, 2007)

100% Orcas....Camera angles play tricks on how big or small something might be. :takephoto


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## BuckWild (Oct 2, 2007)

look at the range of the dahl's porpoise. nowhere near the GOM. they are definately killer whales.


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## bonita dan (Oct 3, 2007)

I'm no expert but I did go to Sea World once and that one in front of the bow definately looks like a Killer Whale. I could be wrong,Its happened before. :banghead


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## reelfinatical (Sep 30, 2007)

"According to scientists, approximately 70orcasmay live in the Gulf of Mexico.However, only 9 verified sightings of orcas in the Gulf were made prior to 1990, and only another 14 sightings have been documented since 1990. In short, it's a rare treat." 

Their news article: http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1607481 ((sounds like the guy from the Univ says they are indeedOrcas...?))


Very cool video and pics!!


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## TBonds (Oct 1, 2007)

Here's pictures of a Dall's Porpoise and a Killer Whale for coloration comparison. I'd say that's a killer whale in the video. I'd hate to see what would happen if someone hooked one deep dropping.



<center>



























</center>


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## dailysaw (Jan 22, 2008)

> *bonita dan (8/1/2008)*I'm no expert but I did go to Sea World once and that one in front of the bow definately looks like a Killer Whale. I could be wrong,Its happened before. :banghead


that's funny stuff right there!


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

I'll bet Dan can draw us a picture of what he saw at Sea World. That woud clear all this up right AWAY!:bowdown

Jim


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## User1265 (Oct 15, 2007)

:withstupid


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## xl883lo (Oct 24, 2007)

> *Mellow Yellow (8/1/2008)*I'm not saying there are no Orcas in the GOM, but those are definitely not Orcas in that video. They look like some kind of porpoise. Even a baby Orca would be twice the size of the porpoise in the video. Orcas also have a ridiculously long dorsal fin which on full grown males can be 6 feet tall.


1) Orca's are "some kind of porpoise" as they are the largest member of the Dolphin/Porpoise family.

2) Look at the Orca range and it includes most of th GOM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *bonita dan (8/1/2008)*I'm no expert but I did go to Sea World once and that one in front of the bow definately looks like a Killer Whale. I could be wrong,Its happened before. :banghead




Which one is better in the silver box? Killer Whales or Manatee?


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## The Raven (Oct 8, 2007)

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ao2007whki-gmxn.pdf


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## Mellow Yellow (Oct 27, 2007)

> *xl883lo (8/1/2008)*
> 
> 
> > *Mellow Yellow (8/1/2008)*I'm not saying there are no Orcas in the GOM, but those are definitely not Orcas in that video. They look like some kind of porpoise. Even a baby Orca would be twice the size of the porpoise in the video. Orcas also have a ridiculously long dorsal fin which on full grown males can be 6 feet tall.
> ...








Should have read "smaller porpoise"



If those are Orcas in that video, they are the smallest Orcas on the Planet. I used to live in Alaska and work there several times a year and we see them all the time. Perhaps there are a smaller GOM subspecies or something. Most Orcas we see up there are damn near the size of a 31 Bertram. Have also seen them off of Newfoundland and in Hudson Bay and they would eat whatever is in that video for lunch. Come over my house and I'll show you high definition video of an entire pod taking turns trying to eat the port side outdrive off of a 40 foot Seawolf.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

> *TBonds (8/1/2008)*
> <CENTER>
> 
> 
> ...


Theres nodoubt its a killer whale.Here's a screenshot from the video. 










That would be an awesome experience!


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## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

Wetook video of a pod near the double nipple a number of years ago. Not sure if we still have it or not


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

I remember hearing about that and the histogram in the linked report shows a confirmed incident in that area. You're lucky to have seen that and I'd love to see the vids if you can find it.



Anybody know what they taste like or if you could get one on a 130? Is it legal to harpoon them?


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## bayou bandit (Oct 1, 2007)

> *Xanadu (8/1/2008)*I remember hearing about that and the histogram in the linked report shows a confirmed incident in that area. You're lucky to have seen that and I'd love to see the vids if you can find it.
> 
> Anybody know what they taste like or if you could get one on a 130? Is it legal to harpoon them?


I don't know what they taste like, but I'm willing to bet you won't find it on the Fish House menu anytime soon! LOL


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I bet they taste just like dolphin;DELICIOUS! 

I don't have a degree in marine biology, but I've studied itmy whole lifeand anyone who knows me can tell you that I can identify just about any fish or marine mammal I see and I can tell you with absolute certainty that those are orcas. I don't care where you have lived, there are only 2 different marine mammals that have black and white patterns that distinct;The killer whale or the dalls porpoise. The dalls porpoise only grows to a length of around 6 feet and lives in much cooler climes.I've seen them off northern california and can tell you these are certainly not them. The animals in this video are clearly larger.I also guess there isn't much blue water up in alaska, cause then you would know that although something appears to be right under the surface it may actually be 50 feet down. That orca may look small but it also probably 10 ft. under the surface. I would guess that it is at least 14 feet or so considering that is about the length a female orca would be at sexual maturity. Judging by the fact that she obviously has a calf with her I'd say she has at least reached that point. No doubt about it, I'd bet $100 dollars it is an orca

Please don't let this turn into a 4 page debate.


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## [email protected] (Oct 4, 2007)

i say call it what you want,,,,,,,,,,,,,, just bring that pretty blue water this way. that is 1 awesome video.


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## Promark (Nov 1, 2007)

I think they are panda bears. Panda's are black and white. They are rarely seen in the gulf, but if there is a bamboo weedline are known to swim miles out. I can tell by the fluffy black ears on the little on that those are pandas. You are probably mistaking them for pectoral fins, but they are definitely ears and definitely pandas.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Promark (8/2/2008)*I think they are panda bears. Panda's are black and white. They are rarely seen in the gulf, but if there is a bamboo weedline are known to swim miles out. I can tell by the fluffy black ears on the little on that those are pandas. You are probably mistaking them for pectoral fins, but they are definitely ears and definitely pandas.


:clap:clap


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *Promark (8/2/2008)*I think they are panda bears. Panda's are black and white. They are rarely seen in the gulf, but if there is a bamboo weedline are known to swim miles out. I can tell by the fluffy black ears on the little on that those are pandas. You are probably mistaking them for pectoral fins, but they are definitely ears and definitely pandas.




How the hell do you cook a freaking panda?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Thats pretty damn funny right there I don't care who you are:clap:clap:clap


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## Mellow Yellow (Oct 27, 2007)

> *tunapopper (8/2/2008)*I bet they taste just like dolphin;DELICIOUS!
> 
> 
> 
> ...
















You said " I don't care where you have lived, there are only 2 different marine mammals that have black and white patterns that distinct;The killer whale or the dalls porpoise."



You seem pretty sure of yourself so I did 30 seconds of research on the web and came up with this;



How about the; Hourglass Dolphin, Hectors Dolphin, Tommerson-Dolphin, Long Beaked Common Dolphin, Short Beaked Common Dolphin, Long Finned Pilot Whale, Short Finned Pilot Whale, Atlantic White sided Dolphin, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, and lastly (remember this one), the False Killer Whale. All of these marine mammals have distinct black and white markings.



Just about every Killer Whale I have ever seen travels with a purpose. They are always going somewhere and always seem to be hunting. The one in the video seems rather gregarious even though it has its' young with it. Most female Orcas I've seen that have young with them keep them at distance from any boat even small skiffs. The marine mammal in the video could care less about its' young. It also seems to enjoy riding in the bow wake of the Bertram... read the following;





False Killer Whale range

Cetaceans portal

The False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a cetacean and one of the larger members of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. As its name implies, the False Killer Whale shares characteristics with the more widely known Orca ("killer whale"). The two species look somewhat similar and, like the orca, the False Killer Whale attacks and kills other cetaceans. However, the two dolphin species are not closely related.

The False Killer Whale has not been extensively studied in the wild by scientists; much of the data about the dolphin has been derived by examining stranded animals.

The species is the only member of the Pseudorca genus.

Contents [hide]



This dolphin has a slender body with a dorsal fin that may be a foot high. One of the species' distinguishing characteristics is a bend and bulge (usually called the "elbow") half-way along each of the flippers. The tips of the tail fin are pointed and the middle of the tail has a distinct notch. The False Killer is uniformly coloured a dark grey to black. It grows to about 6 m long, may weigh 1,500 kg and lives for about 60 years.

The False Killer Whale is a social animal, living in groups of 10?50. It is a fast and very active swimmer. It may breach or jump clear of the water and will often land on its side with a big splash. On other occasions the dive may be very graceful, leaving very little wake at all. It will readily approach boats and bow- and wake-ride. It may also emerge from the water head held high upwards and with the mouth open, revealing some of its 44 teeth.

[edit]Population and distribution



I repeat;



It will readily approach boats and bow- and wake-ride. 







False killer whale surfacing

Although not often seen at sea, the False Killer Whale appears to have a widespread, if rare, distribution in temperate and tropical oceanic waters. They have been sighted in fairly shallow waters such as the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea as well as the Atlantic Ocean (from Scotland to Argentina), the Indian Ocean (in coastal regions and around the Lakshwadweep islands) and the Pacific Ocean (from the Sea of Japan to New Zealand and the tropical area of the eastern side).

The total population is unknown. The eastern Pacific was estimated to have in excess of 40,000 individuals and is probably the home of the largest grouping.

The false killer whale and a dolphin have mated in captivity and produced a fertile child .[1]. This is apparently the first mating between two different species that has produced fertile offspring, i.e., without postzygotic barriers. This offspring is called a 'Wolphin'.

[edit]Human interaction



The False Killer Whale has been hunted, but not extensively, in the West Indies and Indonesia. In Japan, a small number of these cetaceans are killed every year.

False Killers have long caused anger amongst fishermen fishing for tuna and yellowtail. The dolphins take the fish from the longlines used by the fishermen. This led to a concerted effort from Japanese fisherman working from Iki Island to deplete the species in the area - 900 individuals were killed for this purpose between 1965 and 1990.[citation needed]

On 2 June 2005 up to 140 (estimates vary) False Killers were beached at Geographe Bay, Western Australia. The main pod, which had been split into four separate strandings along the length of the coast, was successfully moved back to sea with only one death after the intervention of 1,500 volunteers coordinated by the Department of Conservation and Land Management.

Several public aquariums in the world have False Killer Whales on display.





You then go on to say; "I also guess there isn't much blue water up in alaska, cause then you would know that although something appears to be right under the surface it may actually be 50 feet down. That orca may look small but it also probably 10 ft. under the surface." 



You are right about the blue water as there is little if any up in Alaska although they have caught Marlin and Mahi Mahi up there. The marine mammal in the video may be 10 feet under the surface as you mention, but if you have ever seen the mass of a living breathing Killer Whale, you would understand that it would have mass several times that of the fish in the video. The "Killer Whale" in the video actually breaks the surface right in front of the boat and it does not "grow" exponentially when it does so, which would lead me to believe that it is not much bigger than it represents itself under water.







You then go on to say; " I would guess that it is at least 14 feet or so considering that is about the length a female orca would be at sexual maturity. Judging by the fact that she obviously has a calf with her I'd say she has at least reached that point."



Straight from the Seaworld website; "SEXUAL MATURITY: 

MALE	At about 5.5-6.1 m (18-20 ft.); 10-13 years

FEMALE	At about 4.6-4.9 m (15-16 ft.); 6-10 years"



Pretty sure that marine mammal is not 15 feet long but it is too close to tell so I'll give you this one.



Take a good look at the dorsal fin on the marine mammal in the video. If you say the "Orca" is 14 feet long, how long would that make its' dorsal fin? I'd say no greater that 1.5 feet. Read this straight from the Seaworld website;



"In most females, the dorsal fin is typically smaller and slightly falcate (curved back), reaching an average height of 0.9-1.2 m (3-4 ft.)." Although is is "curved back" there is no way it is 3-4 feet long.



I do not claim to be a marine mammal expert by any means but I know what I have seen (hundreds of Killer Whales), and whatever is in that video does resemble the Killer Whale in shape and coloration but lacks severely in size and mass and its' dorsal fin is pretty darn small. There has not been a confirmed Killer Whale sighting in the GOM since 1997. Maybe it is some dwarf GOM Killer Whale but my money says it is a False Killer Whale. 





This is what a Killer Whale looks like;














They also look like this;



http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...=killer+whale&ei=9DGVSJnmB4vWqQLAz5n1Dg&hl=en





This is what a False Killer Whale looks like;



http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Graphics/PRD/Marine mammal response/False Killer Whale stranding_small.jpg





You can keep your hundred dollars.


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## floridays (Oct 2, 2007)

James,

When your done beating your head on the wall :banghead. I need a couple more DVD's to watch. :toast


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## stargazer (Oct 6, 2007)

I saw a pod of killer whales come by while fishing the edge around 1985. There was no doubt .


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## stargazer (Oct 6, 2007)

Saw a pod of killer whales back about 1990 while fishing on the edge. No doubt about what they were.


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## xl883lo (Oct 24, 2007)

> *Mellow Yellow (8/2/2008)*
> 
> You said " I don't care where you have lived, there are only 2 different marine mammals that have black and white patterns that distinct;The killer whale or the dalls porpoise."
> 
> ...


Unfortunately the picture you posted is mislabled and it is actually an Orca. Below is thedescription of a False Killer Whale from the same website and you will note that False Killers are BLACK with a LITTLE GREY and NO WHITE.

http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/PRD/prd_false_killer_whale.html

The animals in the video are definately Orcas and the GOM is in their normal range. The ones you can see pretty good in the video appear to be juveniles or a young female and a calf. I would estimate the one in the bow wake at 12-15 feet but it is hard to tell without a good frame of reference in the video.

You should also note that there are at least FIVE subspecies of Orcas and they vary somewhat in size and have minor variations in their color pattern. Initial research identified three subspecies; Resident, Transient and Offshore, but this was based mainly on behavior patterns. The new work they are doing is using DNA and they think they may identify even more than the five sub species.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Orcas have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico for years. I have a friend that took video of some about 10 years ago.


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## specslayer (Oct 9, 2007)

if you watch the vid at 1:10 you can see the dorsal fin is pretty big so who every said the dorsal wasnt high enough go watch it again they are deff orcas


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## captwesrozier (Sep 28, 2007)

what ever they are...one thing is for certain...they r awesome looking while riding the wake!

tight lines


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

I think it is a F#*^ing Mongo COBIA.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Deeplines (8/3/2008)*I think it is a F#*^ing Mongo COBIA.


Ha ha I don't think anyone will ever forget THAT video!

But I must agree they are real killer whales... not false killers. In commercial dive school under "dangerous marine and environmental hazards" it discusses killer whales in the gulf. "If killer whales are present, divers should exit the water and diving work postponed until whales have left the area". Ha for some reason I think I'd want to get IN the water if I saw some... thats just me.  here are some pictures I found of false killers.




























and the real killer whale


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## Wild Injun (Oct 15, 2007)

In 2001 when I was working on the Deliverance we were fishing the memorial day tournament and saw a huge pod of killer whales.Took lots of video and pictures I have some pics of them riding on the bow like that.(I'll try to get them scanned and uploaded)The video was sent to Dr.Bob Ship at the University of South Alabama and he confirmed that they were definately Orcas.It even made the news the next day pretty cool experience.


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## Mellow Yellow (Oct 27, 2007)

The 31 Bertram is just over 30 feet long and weighs around 5 tons. A female Killer Whale old enough to have young would be around 16-20 feet long and weigh almost as much as a 31 Bertram. The subject in that video looks nowhere near that size to me. 



However, the compelling arguments in this thread have forced me to eat my words and change my mind to exactly what is in the video, It is most definitely, without question, an adult Panda Bear.



See photographic evidence;





http://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/618331566


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## Getsome (Sep 28, 2007)

> *Wild ***** (8/3/2008)*In 2001 when I was working on the Deliverance we were fishing the memorial day tournament and saw a huge pod of killer whales.Took lots of video and pictures I have some pics of them riding on the bow like that.(I'll try to get them scanned and uploaded)The video was sent to Dr.Bob Ship at the University of South Alabama and he confirmed that they were definately Orcas.It even made the news the next day pretty cool experience.


I seen that video on the news, I think it was channel 5 or a Mobile station. Untill that day I never knew there was Killers in the Gulf.


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