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‘Chunky’ sea creature and its family gave tourists a show in California, photos show

The family of killer whales was discovered in Monterey Bay.
The family of killer whales was discovered in Monterey Bay. Photo by Brynn Pedrick on Unsplash

A boat of whale watchers in California had an “absolutely beautiful” encounter with a family of four “well-known killer whales” recently.

The group of tourists spotted the family of orcas on Sept. 2 in Monterey Bay, according to a Facebook post from Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

“We got to observe 21 year old matriarch CA140B Louise and her three offspring: 10 year old CA140B1 Stinger, 7 year old CA140B2 Bee, and 3 year old CA140B3 Buzz,” the tour agency wrote in its Sept. 5 post. “You never know what you may encounter on the bay!”

Buzz and Louise in the bay.
Buzz and Louise in the bay. Monterey Bay Whale Watch / Daniel Bianchetta

The orcas were exhibiting “interesting behaviors” in the bay, according to the group. They were “prey sharing a sea lion carcass, practicing hunting techniques on small seabirds, and even interacting with purple striped jellies!”

Photos show the creatures swimming alongside one another and feeding.

Two orcas sharing a sea lion carcass.
Two orcas sharing a sea lion carcass. Monterey Bay Whale Watch / Daniel Bianchetta
Louise and her three offspring: Stinger, Bee and Buzz.
Louise and her three offspring: Stinger, Bee and Buzz. Monterey Bay Whale Watch / Daniel Bianchetta

Experts also noticed that Louise “was looking quite robust and chunky,” indicating that she might be pregnant.

The tour group also spotted nine humpback whales, 600 short-beaked common dolphins, 300 long-beaked common dolphins, 50 Pacific white-sided dolphins and one Mako shark, the post said.

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This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 2:14 PM with the headline "‘Chunky’ sea creature and its family gave tourists a show in California, photos show."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
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