NOAA Fisheries Image Gallery

Spy Hopping Orca

Picture by: Unknown Picture taken on: January 1st, 1980

Tags: orca killer whale northwest

Spyhopping is an act of coming out of the water vertically and staying above the surface momentarily in the same way a human treads water. An extremely powerful Orca can be spyhopping for longer periods of time and get as much as half of its body above the surface of the water. This photo was taken under a NOAA Fisheries scientific research permit. Admire wildlife from a distance, for your safety and their protection

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