Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

• Length: 27 feet
• Weight: Estimated at 9 tons
• Only warm mammal that attacks other warm blooded sea life

The killer whale is not a frequent visitor to the Sea Lion Caves' area; however, it is of considerable interest. This black and white mammal is one of the few sea mammals that attack other warm blooded sea life, and has been seen taking sea lions in the vicinity, although its hunting ground is generally farther north.

In the Pacific Ocean, the male killer whale attains a known length of about 27 feet and weighs an estimated 9 tons. A newborn calf is about eight feet long and weighs about 400 pounds.

Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

• Mammal
• Must breathe air
• 30 - 50 ft. in length
• Weighs 16 - 45 tons
• Eats Amphipods (tiny crustaceans 1/3 - 1 inch long)
• Has o natural defenses except size and endurance
• Can be seen close to shore
• Spend the summers close to Sea Lion Caves

The gray whale passes Sea Lion Caves usually close to shore on its northward journey because it has just rounded Cape Blance, the westernmost extension of the United States' mainland. It is seen for several months as individual timestables seem to vary in the whale's migration pattern. Small groups sometimes end their trip north and spend the summer in the immediate vicinity of Sea Lion Caves, feeding very close to shore.

The gray whale is a mammal. It must breathe air and surfaces frequently to inhale and expel its condensed breath through the hole in the top of its head. It rarely swims more than 2,000 feet before surfacing to breathe and its spout is visible for a considerable distance.

The mature gray whale is 30 to 50 feet long and weighs 16 to 45 tons. It feeds off the bottom in relatively shallow water by plowing up the soft sandy sediments to obtain its main food, amphipods. Amphipods are crustaceans one-third to one inch long and are related to the common sand flea. The great gray whale has no biting structure to use for protection, and except for its size and endurance, is defenseless against attackers such as the killer whale.

Dr. Raymond Gilmore, research curator of marine mammals at the San Diego Museum, believes that the gray whale actually remembers the contour of the coast it passes, and he speculates that from time to time the whale will lift from the water to take a bearing from prominent headlands. Heceta Head Light Station, just north of Sea Lion Caves, has been used for navigation by seamen since it was built in 1894. Since the gray whale travels at night, it is just possible that it borrows a leaf from coastal shipping and navigates partially by observing the 1 million candlepower white light that flashes every ten seconds with visibility for 21 miles at sea.