A Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus, fluking before a deep dive into the Sea of Cortez, off Isla San José, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Although my trip to Baja California was timed and planned particularly to see the Grey Whales in the breeding lagoons, there was plenty of other wildlife to see, both from the boat while en route and on land when we walked around mostly remote and deserted desert islands.
We saw several cetaceans, including several of the world’s largest, the Blue Whale. This whale, across its seven subspecies, was once very numerous across the world’s oceans until it was whaled to near extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries. The IWC banned catching Blue Whale in 1967, but its population is still estimated to be 3% – 11% of the 1911 estimate. It is CITES listed as endangered.
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