Tag Archives: orca

More on Friday’s Killer whales in Wellington Harbour

14 December 2009 – 4.39pm
Jochen Flöthe's photos of the Killer whales or Orca in Wellington Harbour

Jochen Flöthe's photos of the Killer whales or Orca in Wellington Harbour

Here’s proof that there were indeed Orca’s or Killer Whales in Wellington Harbour on Friday. Proof too of what a small, interconnected world we live in!

This photo was sent to us by Jochen Flöthe from Kiel, Germany! Jochen’s daughter is back-packing in New Zealand. Her friend Mirja Schnabel took the photos,

and had sent family back in Germany photos of the six Orca she saw in Wellington Harbour. Jochen commented on my Friday post asking for photos and offered to send us some. Wow! I love social media when it works like this - so here they are!

But what makes this story even more amazing is that Jochen told me about a really amazing coincidence. Today (13 December in Germany), their local television showed a report about a painting that was discovered in an old church in Greifswald (GER) on the Baltic Sea.

Orca painted on a 16th Century wall in Germany. Wal und nördl. Seitenschiff

Orca painted on a 16th Century wall in Germany. Wal und nördl. Seitenschiff

This painting is from the 16th century and shows an Orca, which was caught by fishermen in the Baltic sea on 30 March 1545. They had never seen a big ‘fish’ like this before and thought it was a sign of god.
http://www.marien-greifswald.de/Wal.657.0.html

Thanks again Jochen. This really made my day today.
Watch the Orcas on YouTube
Where is Greifswald on Google Maps?

Jochen Flöthe's photos of the Killer whales or Orca in Wellington Harbour

Jochen Flöthe's photos of the Killer whales or Orca in Wellington Harbour

By lucyhoffman | Posted in Whales, Whales | Tohorā | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)

Killer whales again today, Owhiro Bay

12 December 2009 – 3.38pm

There were killer whales (orca) hanging around Wellington harbour yesterday – as reported by Anton van Helden, Te Papa’s marine mammal specialist. More killer whales were seen this morning, though I’d don’t know if they are  the same animals.

After a txt from Anton I raced down to the South Coast at Owhiro Bay, not far from where I live, and headed round to Te Kopahou Reserve, towards Red Rocks.

Te Kopahou Reserve, South Coast, Wellington

Te Kopahou Reserve, South Coast, Wellington. Copyright Pamela Lovis

I’ve been a bit of a whale fanatic ever since working with Anton on Te Papa’s Whales Tohora exhibition (which is now touring the States). I’ve still to see a live killer whale, so here was my chance….

I missed them by about 15 minutes – by the time I got there they had moved off further round the coast! People with better eyesight than me could still see a fin or two in the distance.

The fellow whale fans who had been watching them told me they had seen four killer whales swim right into the bay, close to the shore. I was green with jealousy – what an amazing sight (and I’d missed it!).

The whales included one large animal with a large, tall dorsal fin. The size and shape of the fin of a killer whale can be used to identify individual animals. Research scientists such as Ingrid Visser use this information to identify killer whales seen in New Zealand waters.

Watching killer whales near Owhiro Bay, Wellington South Coast

Watching killer whales near Owhiro Bay, Wellington South Coast. Copyright Pamela Lovis

So no pictures from me of the killer whales to share, but if anyone out there did get a picture of them please tell us .

By pamelalovis | Posted in Exhibitions, Whales, Whales | Tohorā | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Psst – Killer whales in Wellington harbour today (11 Dec)

11 December 2009 – 10.00am

There are Killer whales in Wellington harbour today. Last I heard they were below Khandallah heading for Petone, about 30 metres off-shore.

I asked Anton Van Helden, our Collection manager of Marine Mammals, about them. He said they are frequent visitors to Wellington Harbour as it was in their natural range. 

He wasn’t sure what they were doing in the harbour, but thought it was an exciting opportunity for people to see them. He also advised being careful around them and remembering not to harrass them.

I’d love to see a photo of them if some one has taken any!

You might also want to check out Anton on Tales from Te Papa. He is talking about  the rare and mysterious Spade-toothed whale. A scientific detective story with a twist!
Beaked whales – Tales from Te Papa episode 6

By lucyhoffman | Posted in Whales, Whales | Tohorā | Also tagged , | Comments (6)
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