Humpback, Gray Whales, and Dolphins Plunges Together in Rare Swimming Sighting with 'December' Blue Whale Off Monterey Waters

A blue whale, a species that is not often seen, has been spotted near the coast of California, far from its usual habitat during the Christmas season. Monterey Bay Whale Watch captured the whale on video and shared it on Facebook, along with other species seen during the same outing, including a humpback whale, a herd of gray whales, and a group of Risso's dolphins.

The humpback whale approached the vessel and spent more than an hour "mugging" for the cameras, according to the caption of the Facebook post. The blue whale was seen on the way back to the harbor and is described as a rare December sighting.

They are considered the largest living animals on Earth, reaching lengths of up to 98 feet, about the same size as a Boeing 737-500 aircraft or three school buses placed end to end. Some research has suggested that it may not be possible for an animal to grow larger than a blue whale due to limitations on the amount of oxygen that can be distributed throughout the body and the inability to consume enough food to sustain such a large size.

Rare Swimming Sighting

These metabolic and energy constraints may prevent a creature from reaching a size larger than the blue whale. According to Evan Brodsky, the resident cinematographer and naturalist for Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Blue whales are typically seen in the summertime. It is possible to see a blue whale on about one of every five trips in the summer. Only about 10,000 blue whales remain in the Pacific Ocean. These whales typically use the waters around Monterey as a feeding ground during the summer, consuming krill. During wintertime, they normally resettle in southern regions to look for warmer waters to breed and deliver childbirth.

Newsweek reported that these whales are usually found in the warmer waters of Central America during winter. As filter feeders, they use their large baleens, similar to sieves, to filter krill out of the water. Unlike some other species of whales, blue whales are usually seen alone, only accompanied by their calves after birth, rather than in large social groups. According to Brodsky, seeing a blue whale in the area in December is quite rare. Blue whales are already an endangered species and are not as common as the humpback whales that are often seen in the region.

Blue whales were once abundant in the world's oceans, with an estimated 140,000 mature individuals present in 1926. However, their populations have been severely reduced by hunting for their meat, oil, and other products. The International Whaling Commission banned the hunting of blue whales in the 1950s and 1960s, but their populations have not fully recovered.

(Photo: Getty Images)
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth. They can grow to as long as 98 feet, the length of a Boeing 737-500 aircraft or three school buses lined up in a row.

ALSO READ: A Whale of a Tale: This is How the Leviathans Got so Big

Whale Winter Migration

As per Whale Facts, some whales migrate to reach their preferred feeding or mating grounds, as they tend to have specific locations where they gather for these activities. Generally, whales that migrate between feeding and mating seasons migrate towards cooler waters during the warmer summer months to build up their stores of food, replenish their blubber, and migrate towards warmer waters during the colder winter months to mate and give birth. However, not all whales follow this pattern, and some species may have different migration patterns.

They are listed as "endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. In addition to hunting, blue whales face other threats, such as being struck by large ships, exposure to man-made noise, and ingesting chemical pollutants. The other species of whales seen in the video, such as humpback whales and gray whales, are more commonly found off the coast of California during the winter months as they do not migrate.

According to a Facebook post from Monterey Bay Whale Watch, the same blue whale was seen again on the evening trip, leading the group to a feeding humpback whale and then to a group of five gray whales on their annual winter migration. The post also mentioned that a large group of Risso's dolphins was encountered, numbering between 70 and 100 individuals. The whales reportedly approached the vessel on their own, and the boat was in neutral with the engines turned off. The sighting of the gray whales signifies the official start of the gray whale season.