Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises

WHALES, DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are collectively known as cetaceans.

Between a third and a half of all known species in the world frequent the Antarctic waters. Out of the 85 known species worldwide, 37 of these whales, dolphins, and porpoises are recorded in the region.

Sightings during your time on board ship are likely to be limited to a tiny percentage of these wonderful marine mammals. Once in The Bransfield Strait (the body of water between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula), sightings should occur several times a day.

The following example is not an exhaustive list:
Southern right whale: This beautiful creature got its name from whalers who saw it as the "right" whale to catch because it swam slowly, floated after slaughter, and produced huge amounts of blubber and baleen. It grows up to 17 meters in length, is usually black, with a very large head supporting numerous growths of hard, barnacle-like tissue know as callosities. Although a slow swimmer it can be quite acrobatic, frequently known to breach whilst in the breeding grounds.

Minke whale: Up to eight meters in length, Minkes are the smallest of the baleen whales. The Minke is long and sleek, with a pointed head, dark grey in colour with a white underside. The Minke was named by Meinckle, a Norwegian whaler who mistook this whale for a small blue whale.

Humpback whale: growing to an average of 12-14 metres in length, these animals have an exuberant and inquisitive character and are often seen breaching (launching their bodies out of the water). Tail slapping and fin waving make this a whale a whale-watcher’s delight. This barnacle-encrusted favourite frequently raises its fluke vertically when diving. Humpback pods display so-called “bubble feeding”, a cooperative technique to entrap food.

Males have a long complex vocabulary of songs, and females often bring their calves close to vessels exhibiting very little fear of humans. This species as been recorded showing some aggression towards small vessels, but is better know for spy hopping and making eye-to-eye contact.

The Killer whale or Orca: The Orca is easily recognised by its distinctive black and white colouration. These very sociable animals, growing up to 8 metres in length, like to stay in family pods. Among the most exciting of all the marine mammals, they are inquisitive and approachable. Displaying unequalled speed, showing the almost unmistakeable dorsal fin and large paddle-like flippers, the Orca tends to be a favourite!

While the above whales are amongst the usual expedition sightings, numerous beaked, toothed, and baleen whales including the Blue, Sperm, Fin, and Sie have not been mentioned. This is due to their open-ocean nature, so sightings are likely to be rare. Dolphins (Hourglass, Commerson’s and Peale’s) and porpoise, whilst abundant, are most likely to be observed on the return journey close to Cape Horn and during the Beagle Channel passage.