. Cetaceans of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Cetacea; Mammals. Killer Whale Ps!udona crassidim (Owen, 1846) Most researchers have regarded the false killer whale as a predomi- nantly tropical or subtropical species limited to pelagic waters. In the eastern North Pacific, these sleek, black, medium-sized toothed whales (to about 6 m) have, indeed, rarely been reported north of Baja California, where the broad transition benveen tropical and temperate waters ordinarily occurs. The few records that do exist are of special interest, however, as they leave open the question
. Cetaceans of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Cetacea; Mammals. Killer Whale Ps!udona crassidim (Owen, 1846) Most researchers have regarded the false killer whale as a predomi- nantly tropical or subtropical species limited to pelagic waters. In the eastern North Pacific, these sleek, black, medium-sized toothed whales (to about 6 m) have, indeed, rarely been reported north of Baja California, where the broad transition benveen tropical and temperate waters ordinarily occurs. The few records that do exist are of special interest, however, as they leave open the question of whether or not false killer whales are present in pelagic temperate waters in greater numbers than generally believed. The northernmost records published are those ot a single live whale seen in Ishami Lagoon, Ptince William Sound in 198) and of one animal shot in 1957 near Olympia, Washington. There are no further published records from along the Washington or Oregon coasts and only four from Northern and Central California — a stranding in 1966 at Crescent City, two solitary whales seen live about jo nm west of Humboldt Bay in the 1970s, and a small group we filmed in pelagic waters between Monterey Bay and Avila Bay in autumn 1982. Figure 28. False killer whales are represented m the SCB by an apparent mass stranding on San Nicolas Island prior Co 1940 and a handful ot verified sightings. ! Photo by S. Leathenvood.). The situation becomes a bit more complex south of Point Concep- tion. Between 1940 and i960 various researchers collected a total of 9 skulls of this species in the area of Dutch Harbor, on the south east end of San Nicolas Isaland. The most recent worker involved in examining those materials interpreted them as evidence of a mass stranding, a fate not uncommon to groups of false killer whales in various locations. There are a few records of the species alive in the SCB. Herds were seen off Catalma Island in 1959 and about 4 nm oft the Palos Verdes Peninsu
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