Old Thom (orca)

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 and 2023.[2]

For the Australian orca known to whalers from 1895 to 1930, see Old Tom (orca).
Old Thom
SpeciesOrcinus orca
SexMale
Years active2006-Present

Identifying features

Old Thom is a large bull orca, and is estimated to be 25 to 30 feet long, with an estimated weight of 8 tons.[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 of 2022 and June of 2023.[7] [8]

See also

References
  1. Faulds, Jessica (21 September 2016). "Meet Ol' Tom, the orca who prefers the company of dolphins". Cottage Life. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. White, Robyn (31 May 2022). "Killer Whale Cruising Cape Cod Waters Is 30ft Bull Named 'Old Thom'". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  3. "Old Thom Appears - Again - in the Bay of Fundy". Orca Conservancy. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  4. Riley, Jonathan (17 September 2016). "Ol' Tom the Orca is back - whale watchers off Brier Island spend time with solitary whale". The Digby Courier. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  5. Brown, Moira. "#23: One Last Peek at the Bay". Right Whale Research Blog. New England Aquarium.
  6. Wang, Vivian; Annear, Steve. "Orca named 'Old Thom' spotted in rare sighting off Chatham". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  7. 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'". Boston Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. Thorpe, Lindsey (13 June 2023). "Fishing crew encounters orca whale swimming with dolphins off Cape Cod". Boston 25 News. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
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