Did you know that Península Valdés is the place where Orcas have developed a hunting technique known as "varamiento"?
The "intentional varamiento" is a unique hunting technique, developed by a group of Orcas that periodically visit the Peninsula Valdés and the coast of the province of Chubut, in Patagonia Argentina, and that does not happen anywhere else in the world.
Orcas are cetaceans (they are not whales!) that arrive on the coast of Chubut province between March and April, and between September and December, looking for food. They weigh between 4 and 10 tons, depending on whether they are male or female. There are two associations that study the behavior of Orcas in Península Valdés, with an identification guide for tracking individuals; each animal has its own characteristics, such as the size of the dorsal and hind fins, position and size of the white spots, which allowed them to even have their names.
The most famous orcas are Jaluel (a huge male with no known offspring), Pao, Shekei, Llen and Maga (the still living matriarch who has had the most offspring to date); and there are many more!
In some still unknown way, the Orcas of the Peninsula have discovered that, with the help of the waves at high tide, they manage to get very close to the colonies of sea lions or elephant seals that are on the beaches, climbing on the sand without danger of running aground and be able to "hunt" the little wolf. The most amazing thing about it all is that they pass on knowledge from the oldest to the youngest. We observe that they are always the same, but the group grows with the arrival of new members born within the group, and who learn how to perform the whole maneuver.
Amazing, isn't it? This is one of the many wonders of mother nature! Our "Orcas in Península Valdés" photographic expedition in April is completely focused on seeing them. Let´s go?
More info: patagonia@slowandsteadytravel.com