The largest member of the dolphin family, killer whales live in very
stable family groups in the Pacific. Little is known about the Atlantic
killer whale, which is rarely sighted in the St. Lawrence. Since 1984,
however, a group of three individuals has been making regular visits to
the Gulf, off Mingan.
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Jack
Knife's pod |
The killer whale is the largest of the dolphins and the most
fascinating of all the whales. Most of what we have learned about the
biology and behaviour of this species comes from a long-term study of a
small population of approximately 300 individuals living around Vancouver
Island. Killer whales live in very stable family groups. Family cells are
organized around females, which can live to 100 years of age. Each family
invents its own specific hunting strategy and characteristic dialect. Like
wolves and lions, this family-oriented structure allows them to attack
animals much larger than themselves. |
We know very little about the killer whales of the Atlantic. Occasional
sightings and strandings have been reported from New Jersey to Davis
Straight. The number of scars left by killer whales on the tails of blue
whales and humpback whales, which they attack, lead us to believe that
they are not rare. In the Atlantic, their nomadic way of life makes them
difficult to study. We are often left with anecdotal information open to
interpretation.
Since 1984, research scientists of the Mingan Island Cetacean Study have
regularly observed a small pod of killer whales in the Strait of Jacques
Cartier, off the Mingan islands. The pod initially consisted of two
females, a male, named Jack Knife, and a juvenile. The team of research
scientists has, on many occasions, seen this group attack minke whales or
harbour porpoises. The pod has not been seen in its initial make-up since
1997 and, each summer, Jack Knife is observed travelling alone between
Percé and Mingan.
In the St. Lawrence Estuary, killer whales are even less seldom seen.
The last confirmed sighting dates back to 1982.
