Tail of a Fin Whale

Another beautiful morning on the water off of Tadoussac. Variable cloudiness and calm waters. A pair of fin whales near Prince Shoal. Two well known individuals in the area: Orion and Trou. And a huge surprise: the fin whale Trou lifted her tail out of the water twice as she dove (see photos below). A highly unusual behaviour in this species! I should also point out that Trou, a female fin whale known since 1994, is absolutely huge. She is probably the largest fin whale to frequent the sector. Her spout is immense and her size is striking…

Also of note was a herd of over two hundred gray seals and nearly a dozen very active minke whales.

Here are a few pictures from this morning, August 28:

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GREMM research assistant from 2003 to 2009 and from 2012 to 2014, Renaud Pintiaux is a passionate observer and photographer. Year round, whether from shore or on the water, he takes every opportunity to observe marine mammals and birds in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park.