Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Unless someone actually gets on a boat and heads offshore, or are really lucky to be on the right stretch of beach at just the right time, most folks who visit or even live on this part of the coast will never see a whale. But they’re out there!
Common species of whales off our shores include fin, humpback, pilot, and minke whales. But at least eight other species including the northern right, sei, sperm, Curvier’s beaked, Gervai’s beaked, True’s beaked, Blainville’s beaked, and killer whales may occasionally be observed, particularly in the waters near the continental shelf.
One of the most commonly seen leviathans off Delmarva is the fin whale. Reaching lengths of almost 80 feet, fin whales are second in size only to the giant blue whale, which is recorded to be the largest living creature that’s ever inhabited our planet. Similar to blues, fin whales have a dorsal fin set far back and close to their tail and a long slender body. The upper jaw and head area (rostrum) is somewhat flat and v-shaped while the lower jaw and throat is covered with ventral grooves (pleats) that allow the throat area to expand tremendously when the animal is feeding. Fin whales are typically dark gray with light undersides.
Fin whales might be seen anytime off our coast but are particularly common during the cooler weather months. As big as they are, fin whales will actually come quite close to shore and it’s not uncommon to see them within 10-15 miles of the beach. These whales may first be recognized by their large size and then by the manner in which they surface and dive. Fin whales break the surface first with the top of their head and blow (exhale) simultaneously. Then, as their head drops below the surface the back arches up and out of the water as they roll forward, eventually exposing their somewhat insignificant in size, but very visible dorsal fin. They will typically submerge without showing their tail flukes. A fin whale’s diet consists primarily of small schooling fish, squid and plankton and they're reported to live as long as 90 years.
Anyone who has seen the Pacific Life Insurance ads on TV should be able to recognize the humpback whale with its black back, stout body and very long flippers (pec fins). Humpbacks may attain lengths of over 50-feet and sport a series of knobs (like large warts) across their head and lower jaw and on the leading edge of their flippers.
Humpbacks are the whales most often seen locally by fall fishermen and can be one of the most exciting whales to observe as they will sometimes breach (jump) out of the water and often show their entire tails when they make deep dives. These whales also have a habit of laying on their side or back and slapping the surface of the water with their long flippers. Humpbacks will at times come very close to shore and are one species that has the highest probability of actually being seen from the beach. I’ve seen them myself from the sand of both Assateague and Ocean City shorelines.
Long and short finned pilot whales are common sights for anglers who fish the continental shelf waters 50 or more miles off our coast. Reaching lengths of up to 25-feet these are some of the smaller whales usually seen off our coast. But what they lack in size pilot whales certainly make up for in numbers particularly when they congregate in “herds” of up to 100 animals which may sometimes be seen resting like floating logs on the ocean’s surface. These are “toothed” whales that instead of having baleen (strainers), their mouths are filled with teeth similar to those of dolphins, and which they use to catch and eat fish and squid.
Pilot whales are mostly black or very dark brown in color but may have white markings on their underside and sometimes on their backs. They have a very prominent dorsal fin forward on their back that slopes sharply back.
In my book one of the “coolest” whales often seen off our coast is the minke whale. With a relatively pointed head, and sleek tapering body, its profile is not unlike the giant blue and fin whales. But the minke “only” grows to a little more than 30-feet. What’s really neat about this whale is its beautiful color markings. The animal is mostly black or gray but has a light colored underside, a white band on each of its flippers, and a large chevron pattern across its back. Minkes have a pointed and very prominent dorsal fin that becomes very obvious when they dive. They do not raise their tails as they leave the surface. Minke whales are fast swimmers and often dart under and around fishing boats that share their feeding grounds. Like the larger baleen whales, minkes feed primarily on small schooling fish, squid, and zooplankton.
Seeing a whale is always an incredible sight. Of course most of the time they’ll be seen from a boat miles offshore. Occasionally, however, a whale (usually a humpback) will come close enough that it can be seen from the beach. With estimates of only 300 individuals surviving today, northern right whales are one of the most endangered species of whales on the planet, and seeing one anywhere is a BIG deal.
Observing a pair of right whales from the beach is absolutely phenomenal, but that’s exactly what my wife and I were able to do a few years ago on a cool April morning. Before that I had never seen a living right whale before, and even though we immediately suspected that’s what they were, we didn’t want to make that identification until we were positive. So we flipped through our whale ID book and compared what we were seeing to what it said we “should” be seeing: Predominately black in color – check. No dorsal fin – check. Robust body with broad smooth back – check. Narrow arching rostrum with wart-like callosities on rostrum, lower lip, and around eyes - check. V-shaped blow from double blowhole – check. Tail has large black flukes with a concave margin – check check.
That was enough evidence for us to officially identify what we were seeing off Ocean City’s beach that morning as two “northern right whales.” The species is so endangered that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wants anyone who sees them to call 978-585-3622 and report the sighting to help them keep track of the travels of these animals and so that the Coast Guard can broadcast a “notice to mariners” over the VHF radio to alert boaters to proceed through the area with caution.
The ocean is a big pond with no fences other than the natural boundaries of water temperatures, preferred depths, predators and available food supplies – you never know what you might see. Whether walking down the beach, or in a boat miles from shore, at any moment Delmarva residents could suddenly be blessed with a view of one of the most incredible, beautiful and largest creatures on earth! §
