Whale Tales

A map of the Salish Sea depicting unique reports of different groups of killer whales throughout February 2026. Blue dots are for Southern Residents, yellow dots for Northern Residents, red dots for Bigg's killer whales, and gray dots for groups that were confirmed to be orcas but were not identifiable to ecotype. Data were verified and compiled by the Orca Behavior Institute.

Here is our February 2026 Salish Sea killer whale sightings map, compiling orca reports from across the region.

We had 43 Bigg's killer whale sightings, a drop of more than 50% compared to February 2025!

Read our full monthly summary here:
www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma...

New England Aquarium spots blue whales during back-to-back aerial surveys over Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and off southern New England - New England Aquarium In an unusual occurrence, the New England Aquarium’s aerial survey team spotted endangered blue whales during aerial surveys two days in a row and more than 170 miles apart.

The New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life aerial survey team spotted three endangered blue whales on consecutive days over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and southern New England waters!
Read more:

Drones capture rare harbor porpoise mating behavior off Shetland Drones flying above the waters of Shetland have captured rare footage of harbor porpoises gathering in unusually large groups and engaging in mating behavior. The footage, gathered between 2019 and 20...

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A New Bigg's Calf! Read the full story here: buff.ly/497i4yN
Photo by @tomflip.bsky.social
This is an encounter from 2024
#WhaleTales #Biggs #storytelling #GetOnABoat

😲😲😲

Feeding Frenzy. Read the full story here: buff.ly/8LJPrNW
Photo by krisztinabalotay / @orca.channel
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales

And you think *you* take a lot of photos 🤯😂

Shout out to Happywhale for helping tom out with his Guiana Dolphin photo id project!

Photos: Tom Cezimbra, ECoMAR-UFRJ

Listen to our latest episode wherever you get your podcasts.

#WhaleTales #WhaleTalesPodcast @guianadolphin.bsky.social

Orca Play with Sunfish. Read the full story here: buff.ly/Ca5MWpa
Photo by Whale Watch Western Australia
This is an encounter from 2020

🧪🌊🦑🐳 #WhaleWednesday #AlaskaSky

It. Is. Us.

#repost
#WhaleTalesPodcast #WhaleWednesday
#WhaleTales

It was so great having you on Tom!

Winter Whale Watching Iceland. Read the full story here: buff.ly/zlMBziL
Photo by Láki Tours
This is an encounter from 2020
#WhaleTales

Swimming in Pink. Read the full story here: buff.ly/2fdShHk
Photo by Krisztina
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #orca

A Bucket List Species! Read the full story here: buff.ly/3qHKQ5Q
Photo by Sanne
This is an encounter from 2022
#WhaleTales #BeakedWhales

Did you know the Salish Sea is home to over 11,200 harbor porpoises? These chubby beacons of hope are a true conservation success story!

PacMam has just released a new storymap. Dive in and discover how we use photo identification to track individuals, and more! www.pacmam.org/storymap

The ocean covers 70% of our planet and teems with life; some still waiting to be discovered.

Countless creatures rely on ocean habitats to survive (yes, that includes us!)

On World Wildlife Day, we celebrate the incredible life beneath the waves & the vital role the ocean plays in all our lives.

Over the weekend, the T36/T36B and T99 matrilines of Bigg's (mammal-hunting) killer whales paid the area a visit. Here they are in front of Anacortes, WA before continuing south into Puget Sound near Tacoma.

📷: Sam Murphy, Island Adventures Whale Watching

In our latest episode Tom shares one of the simplest ways we can help marine life and the world around us.

Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
#WhaleTales #WhaleTalesPodcast @guianadolphin.bsky.social

Close Encounters with Wild Orca. Read the full story here: buff.ly/4hKGLWq
Photo by Whale Watch Western Australia⁠
This is an encounter from 2020
#WhaleTales #KillerWhale #DolphinAwarenessMonth

Sounding Whale – Labrador Sea
David Blackwood
1998

Epic Encounter with Hourglass Dolphins! Read the full story here: buff.ly/iHDJLR2
Video by Josh
This is an encounter from 2024
#WhaleTales #DolphinAwarenessMonth #HourglassDolphins

Happy Dolphin Awareness Month Storytellers! Spread the love and read all of our dolphin WhaleTales by clicking the “Dolphin” category of our menu🐬
buff.ly/3qFSag4

A Dolphin Hunt. Read the full story here: buff.ly/HdH8a5K
Photo by Brittany
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales

Under the Polar Night. Read the full story here: buff.ly/wLTKKD8
Photo by Krisztina
This is an encounter from 2025
#WhaleTales #KillerWhale

Humpback Mugging. Read the full story here: buff.ly/ZkIirI4
Photo by Danielle
#WhaleTales #humpback

It's Fun Fact Friday! Have you heard of Cookie Cutter Sharks? The scars these sharks make on whales (like humpbacks) show us just how far these animals travel throughout the year.
Photos: Bryde's Whale by Tony Wu, Blue Whale by Joey Weir, Humpback by Pedro López Suárez
#WhaleTales

With J Pod making a recent appearance in central Puget Sound, we thought it would be fun to look back and share a moment from an encounter we had with them (and J62) a year ago on Feb 20, 2025 at Cattle Point (San Juan Island).

Enjoy this short clip recorded by Jason! (full video link in comments)

Just boops for today 😎

yup!

Killer Whales Mating. Read the full story here: buff.ly/3af4hIL
Photo by Whale Watch Western Australia
This is an encounter from 2020
#WhaleTales #KillerWhale