Giant killer whale "Macho" spotted with calves off Los Angeles: orca sightings are rare in Southern California
Whale watchers filmed a giant male killer whale by drone off the coast of Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday, October 21, as it swam alongside a young calf and other members of its pod. Fox Weather reported the rare sighting on October 22.
The male orca has been nicknamed "Macho" by whale watchers. Photographer Mauricio Tassara (@empty_drone) told Storyful that sightings of orcas in Southern California are uncommon, making an encounter with a giant like Macho truly extraordinary. In the footage, several mothers with young calves glide through the water at a safe distance from the vessel, occasionally surfacing to breathe.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), killer whales live in all the world's oceans but are most abundant in colder waters such as Antarctica, the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. They are highly social animals that usually live in pods of up to about 20 individuals. Resident killer whales have been observed in California in the past, but sightings are rare. The drone footage shows the pod moving calmly through the water, an unexpected natural spectacle off Southern California this week.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 海洋中的虎鲸群。摄影：Allen Shimada（NOAA/NMFS），公共领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
