A local celebrity recently surfaced for the first time this summer: Old Thom the Orca.
Old Thom was spotted off Stellwagen Bank National Marine National Marine Sanctuary on Sunday about 20 miles east of Boston, between Cape Cod and Cape Ann.
“Orca whales can be uniquely identified by markings on them,” said Amy Warren from New England Aquarium. “Old Thom is specific because he has this notch in his dorsal fin.”
Killer whales are rare in the waters off of Massachusetts, but Old Thom tends to make a brief stop in New England ever ysummer.
While orcas are known as a social species, Old Thom is usually spotted swimming alone or with a pod of dolphins.
“Maybe he does need some socialization and he’s using the dolphins for that,” Warren said. “Another theory is that he’s following them to find the food maybe he’s eating some of the same fish the dolphins are, so, any number of theories but it’s just very interesting that he’s almost always seen with dolphins.”
Orcas have a lifespan of anywhere from 30 to 50 years, and while experts from NEA aren’t sure of Old Thom’s exact age, he was first spotted by their team about 17 years ago.
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