Old Thom (orca) explained

Old Thom
Species:Orcinus orca
Gender:Male
Years Active:2006–present

Old Thom is a male North Atlantic killer whale (orca) known for being the only killer whale to regularly be sighted in the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy. Often referred to as a loner, the whale has never been seen with other orcas, but is often accompanied by Atlantic white-sided dolphins, who seem to feed alongside the orca.[1] The orca has received considerable media attention for its visits to Cape Cod in 2016, 2022, 2023, and 2024.[2]

Identifying features

Old Thom is a large bull orca, and is estimated to be 25to long, with an estimated weight of .[3] The whale is identified by a distinct notch a third of the way down the posterior side of the dorsal fin.

Sighting history

The first known sighting of Old Thom was in 2006, spotted by Canadian whale watching boats in the Bay of Fundy.[4] The whale has since been seen nearly annually in the Bay of Fundy. In August 2010, the whale was observed in the Roseway Basin by the New England Aquarium, which was conducting North Atlantic right whale surveys.[5] In July 2016, Old Thom was photographed by charter boat captain Bruce Peters 13 miles off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts.[6] The orca was again seen off the coast of Cape Cod by fishermen in May 2022,[7] June 2023,[8] and June 2024.[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Faulds . Jessica . Meet Ol' Tom, the orca who prefers the company of dolphins . 19 August 2022 . Cottage Life . 21 September 2016.
  2. News: White . Robyn . Killer Whale Cruising Cape Cod Waters Is 30ft Bull Named 'Old Thom' . 19 August 2022 . Newsweek . 31 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Old Thom Appears - Again - in the Bay of Fundy . Orca Conservancy . 19 August 2022.
  4. News: Riley . Jonathan . 17 September 2016 . Ol' Tom the Orca is back - whale watchers off Brier Island spend time with solitary whale . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160918235348/http://www.digbycourier.ca/News/Local/2016-09-17/article-4643824/Ol%26rsquo%3B-Tom-the-Orca-is-back---whale-watchers-off-Brier-Island-spend-time-with-solitary-whale/1 . 18 September 2016 . 16 September 2016 . The Digby Courier.
  5. Web site: Brown . Moira . #23: One Last Peek at the Bay . Right Whale Research Blog . New England Aquarium.
  6. News: Wang . Vivian . Annear . Steve . Orca named 'Old Thom' spotted in rare sighting off Chatham . 19 August 2022 . The Boston Globe.
  7. News: Sobey . Rick . 17 May 2022 . A familiar orca is spotted off Cape Cod: 'It was pretty cool to see… you don't get higher on the food chain' . 19 August 2022 . Boston Herald.
  8. News: Thorpe . Lindsey . 13 June 2023 . Fishing crew encounters orca whale swimming with dolphins off Cape Cod . 14 June 2023 . Boston 25 News.
  9. News: Berger . Ava . 2024-06-04 . Orca spotted seven miles off the coast of Chatham by boat crew on tuna fishing expedition . 2024-06-04 . The Boston Globe . en-US.

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