Shimmering Blows and Colourful Flanks

“Faithful to its favourite rock, a harbour seal spent part of the week there—showing up on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and again today! Although I often see it jump back into the water, I’d love to catch the moment it first hauls out!” shares a resident of Baie-Comeau. How do seals manage to climb onto shore and get around on dry land?Gin whale’

While they’re far more agile in the water, seals occasionally need to come ashore, for example to rest or to give birth to their pups. To move about, they crawl on their bellies by undulating their whole body. Unlike sea lions—which, over the course of evolution, have retained the ability to move on land using all four of their limbs—seals cannot, due to the small size of their front and hind flippers. That’s why they look so clumsy when they’re not in the water!

A harbour seal was also spotted near Saint-Irénée, poking its little rounded head above the water surface. Near L’Anse-aux-Cousins in the Gaspé Peninsula, pinnipeds can still be seen along the coastline, according to one observer. In Les Escoumins, harbour seals also delighted a patient naturalist who was watching from shore.

“On Saturday morning, we saw two minke whales in front of our house in Cap-aux-Os, one of which was quite close to shore. Later, while out for a stroll toward Cap Gaspé in Forillon, we spotted two more minkes,” reports a local resident. Near Baie-Comeau, this smallest of the rorquals was also observed by a cetacean enthusiast. On Wednesday, yet another minke whale was seen in front of the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre in Tadoussac; it was still there the following day.

Near Les Bergeronnes and Les Escoumins, the impressive blows of fin whales were observed, as were the tail flukes of not one, not two, but three humpbacks! Several of these individuals were identified, including H929 and H919, as well as fin whales Ti-Croche, Trou and Zipper.

Near Cap Gaspé, large spouts were also noted by a seasoned observer: “They were too far away to identify the species with certainty, but the medium-sized, somewhat balloon-shaped blow looked typical for a humpback. Hopefully this marks the start of an exciting November.”

Belugas have been passing by the shores of Les Bergeronnes, while harbour porpoises were observed near Gaspé. Meanwhile, a dozen or so Atlantic white-sided dolphins have been spotted in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park over the past few days. “Sometimes calm, sometimes foraging,” notes a naturalist and wildlife photographer. He even reports seeing the dolphins interacting with belugas! Atlantic white-sided dolphins—commonly seen in the St. Lawrence in the fall—can be distinguished from white-beaked dolphins primarily by the colour pattern of their flanks; despite their name, the flanks of the Atlantic white-sided dolphin are actually marked by a bold yellow stripe.

Whenever I’m on the road, I always cast a glance toward the St. Lawrence whenever I have the chance. This time of year, its waters are home to an astonishing diversity of marine mammals!

Where are the whales this week? Sightings map

Thanks to all our collaborators!