Rarely spotted sea creatures seen off California coast. Check out the cool pictures
.jpg "Sea creatures were spotted in California, a group said on Facebook.")
A “rare” sea creature sighting was captured off the coast of California.
During whale watching trips on Jan. 2, onlookers saw a fin whale and a minke whale, which are “rare sightings for this time of year,” according to a Jan. 3 Facebook post by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch.
Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh up to 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They usually are spotted alone or in groups of two or three and use side-lunging as a way of feeding on schools of fish, the NOAA said.
Fin whales are hunted by commercial whalers, which has dwindled their population, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They have “sleek, streamlined bodies with V-shaped heads” and a “tall, hooked dorsal fin,” the NOAA said. They are the world’s second-largest whale species.
Seventeen humpback whales and thirty Risso’s dolphins were also seen between the two trips on Jan. 2, Monterey Bay Whale Watch said.
Along with those “fantastic” views, the group got to spot two harbor porpoises, the tour agency said.
Monterey is about a 110-mile drive southeast of San Francisco.
This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Rarely spotted sea creatures seen off California coast. Check out the cool pictures."