![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6GBAJUQ4Z5ELHHUDKM6YEIYKYU.jpeg\")
Vancouver orcas identified The orcas were first spotted circling in Vancouver\u2019s Burrard Inlet. <\/p>\nA rare visit from a mysterious trio of killer whales has sparked excitement among whale researchers and wildlife watchers across the West Coast. <\/p>\n
A rare visit from a mysterious trio of killer whales has sparked excitement among whale researchers and wildlife watchers across the West Coast.<\/p>\n
The three orcas were first spotted circling in Vancouver\u2019s Burrard Inlet late last week, capturing the attention of onlookers. <\/p>\n
Among them was Alex Cole, who runs the Howe Sound and Sea to Sky Wildlife Sighting Facebook group. He and others posted photos and video of the whales to the page, and those images quickly became a vital resource for researchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re pretty magical, mystical, huge, intelligent creatures,\u201d Cole said. He and members of the group continued sharing images as the whales lingered for several days.<\/p>\n
Vancouver orcas identified The orcas were first spotted circling in Vancouver\u2019s Burrard Inlet. <\/p>\n
The photos helped researchers identify the trio. Bay Cetology whale researcher Jared Towers says the whales had never been seen in Canada before, which marks a significant discovery in more than 50 years of documented whale research in B.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time that any population of Bigg\u2019s killer whale, other than the West Coast transient population, which spends a lot of time in these waters, has been seen in the Salish Sea,\u201d said Towers. <\/p>\n
Why are they here?<\/p>\n
Cole\u2019s photos revealed key markings, including distinct scarring believed to be caused by cookie-cutter sharks. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re commonly found on killer whales that are photographed around the Aleutian Islands,\u201d said Towers. <\/p>\n
These scars helped researchers recognize the whales as the same trio documented near Anchorage, Alaska, last March.<\/p>\n
Why they travelled so far remains a mystery. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy they\u2019re over here in the eastern North Pacific is anybody\u2019s guess,\u201d Towers said. <\/p>\n
Scientists say more information is needed to understand what brought them south, whether it is food, climate, or another factor.<\/p>\n
The whales spent around four days in Vancouver before they were spotted in the Seattle area on Wednesday.<\/p>\n