Thursday, March 10, 2011

14 sperm whales entertain tourists on boat trip near Long Beach

This image provided by the Aquarium of the Pacific shows a pod of sperm whales Wednesday, March 9, 2011, off the California coast near Long Beach. Fourteen sperm whales were resting at the surface in the local Pacific Ocean waters between Long Beach and Catalina. (AP Photo/Aquarium of the Pacific)

LONG BEACH - An Aquarium of the Pacific marine biologist says a group of tourists and experts on a whale watching trip got a once-in-a-lifetime, half-hour treat when they encountered 14 sperm whales hanging out in the ocean between Long Beach and Catalina Island.

Dave Bader says there are only 2,200 sperm whales in U.S. waters off the Pacific.

He believes the whales seen Wednesday were females and their young or immature males. Males grow to 60 feet and females to 35 feet.

Sperm whales eat squid on the ocean floor, surface only briefly and usually individually.

Bader was not on the trip but has heard the stories, seen the photos and watched the video taken by colleagues.


Online:

? aquariumofpacific.org

? youtube.com/harborbreezecruises

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