Dolphins in BC
Pacific White-Sided dolphins are abundant here in British Columbia and they can be easily recognized by their grey to dark grey body colour with distinct lighter sides. They have a short rostrum (beak) and a noticeably curved dorsal fin. Pacific White-Sided dolphins are often referred to as “lags”, which is derived from the scientific name of these dolphins, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens. Pacific White-Sided dolphins exhibit many playful behaviours including porpoising and bow-riding. They can be found in large pods, which may at times include up to hundreds of dolphins.
Orca (killer whales) are also a type of dolphin; in fact, Orca are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orca are apex predators at the top of the food chain and are integral to the ocean ecosystems regardless of their eco-type (Transients or Residents). Short-Finned Pilot whales and False Killer whales are also dolphins despite their name, and these two species occasionally may be seen around B.C. usually offshore and in deeper waters.
Boaters, please use caution on the water. Effective June 1st, Federal laws require boats to remain at least 400-m away when viewing Orca and for other Cetaceans, laws require boats to remain at least 100-m from the animals. Remember N.E.W.S. when you see a whale, meaning put your boat in NEUTRAL, ENJOY the view, WAIT till the whales are at a fair distance, and then SLOWLY leave the scene.
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Archive Explorer navigates 15,000+ Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings.
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Archive Explorer
dives into the Coastal Cetacean world. View Cetacean sighting locations, photos and videos:
- All species including Orca, Humpback, Grey Whale or Dalls Porpoise
- Follow the endangered Southern Residents Orca in the Salish Sea
- Search for encounters with T002C2 Tumbo
- Witness a close-up Orca encounter video in Port Alberni harbour
- Follow the T010s Transients as they hunt and travel the inside passage
- Track “KC”, the ever popular Humphack’s movements this past August
- Locate any of 12,000 named locations on the BC and WA State coast
- Print custom sighting reports and maps (Coming Soon)
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Sightings
Open Data includes all sightings data, photos and videos, in a table you can filter and download.
The Lummi people of Washington state call them "Qwe “lhol mechen," roughly translated to "our relations below the waves."…
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In October 1997, tourists in a whale-watching boat off the Farallon Islands, near San Francisco, witnessed two killer whales attack a great white shark and consume its liver….
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Southern right whale moms steer their calves to shallow waters, where newborns are less likely to be picked off by an orca. There, crashing waves mask the occasional quiet calls that the pairs make. That may help the whales stick together without broadcasting their location to predators, researchers report July 11 in the Journal of Experimental Biology….
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