Group of Orcas Spotted in Ilhabela, off Northern Coast of São Paulo

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – A pod of orcas was sighted this Saturday afternoon, July 20th, in the region of Ilhabela, north coast of São Paulo State. The researchers recorded the presence of six whales, but the number may be higher.

According to researcher Júlio Cardoso, from the Baleia à Vista (Spot the Whale) project, the orcas were hunting a school of rays that they found in the waters.

“They were swimming together and moved around a lot because they were hunting. And it was really nice because they were interacting with a large group of frigate birds. They would attack the rays, and the frigates would follow to get what was leftover,” he said.

The pod found Saturday in Ilhabela was young, with five females and one male. They were between seven and eight meters long.

This is the first recording of orcas on the northern coast of São Paulo, but their transit through the region at this time is considered normal. They are sighted every year but are not as frequent visitors as other marine species such as dolphins. The last recorded presence had been in December 2018.

One of the researchers’ theories is that orcas use the waters off the northern coast of São Paulo to cleanse their skin.

“In the warmer waters they manage to get rid of the small animals that stick to them in colder waters like those near the south pole,” explains oceanographer Hugo Gallo, of the Argonauta Institute.