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photo gallery > Orca Acrobatics (15)
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full flex
Click image to view full size. Probably the best thing about this shot is that Mega's tail is completely out of the water. This fella's using all of his strength to completely leave the surface of the water -- a rare sight.
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L41 (Mega) Breach
Click image for full size view. L41 or "Mega" is a very large and playful male member of L pod (southern resident family group). Not being a scientist I can outwardly claim favourites and Mega has many admirable qualities; his obvious strength combined with long periods of socializing with other orca make him a fan favourite in general.
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Mega leaves the water completely
Click image to view full size. L41, "Mega", is 10 metres long and approximately 5000 kilograms (almost 11,000 pounds)
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nice rotation!
Click image to view full size. L41, "Mega", was born in 1972. His mother was L11 who was estimated to have been born in 1957 and died in 2000.
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Splashdown
Click image for full size view.
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Breach at Lime Kiln Park
Click image for full size view. Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island easily recognized by the lighthouse visible in this photograph. Thousands of people each year come to the small park to watch resident orca, who often come very near the beach and even rub themselves on the shore. An underwater microphone is operated in this location and can be accessed online (here).
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J19 mid breach
Click image to view full size. This southern resident female is J19 or "Slick". She is 35 years old (est.) and has given birth to three calves that we know of, male J26 (Mike) in 1991, male J33 (Keet) in 1996 and J36 (Alki) in 1999 (sex unknown). All are surviving.
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Slick floats
Click image to view full size. I find this a bizarre shot. She looks as though she is floating on the surface. One of the more interesting aspects of photography to me is it's ability to show you what 1/500th of a second really looks like and preserve it for study.
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Slick's splashdown
Click image for full size view.
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Lummi Island Breach
Click image for full size view
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