Transient Killer Whales make rare appearance in Vancouver's inner harbour

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Transient+killer+whales+make+rare+appearance+Vancouver+Stanley+Park/4767298/story.html?tab=PHOT

VANCOUVER --A group of killer whales made a surprise visit Wednesday morning to Vancouver's inner harbour, breaching and tail slapping in the waters off Stanley Park at Lions Gate Bridge.

The whales are known as transients and consume marine mammals such as harbour seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and even other types of whales. In comparison, resident killer whales are fish eaters.

John Ford, a whale researcher with the federal fisheries department in Nanaimo, said transient killer whales are threatened on the west coast and number about 300.

While visits by killer whales to Vancouver's inner harbour are rare (about once every three years), there is no shortage of harbour seals all the way up Indian Arm to attract them, Ford said. Transients are quiet stealthful hunters and remain underwater longer than resident killer whales, he added.


Raw video from a fishing charter here: http://video.aol.com/video/whales-in-vancouver-harbour/72057662255584922

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Awesome.