Los Angeles Times

New peril for gray whale survival? Predatory orcas spotted in Baja calfing lagoon

A deadly new threat may be on the horizon for gray whales — a species already suffering from a mysterious decline in population. For the first time in known history, orcas have been observed in the grays’ Mexican refuge: the warm, shallow lagoons of the Baja Peninsula, where these 40-plus-foot leviathans go to calf, nurse and mate in peace. Until now, conservationists had considered the area a ...
Mexico's Baja Peninsula, including places like San Ignacio Lagoon, provide warm, shallow estuaries where gray whale mothers come each year to nurse their calves, as other adults arrive to mate.

A deadly new threat may be on the horizon for gray whales — a species already suffering from a mysterious decline in population.

For the first time in known history, orcas have been observed in the grays’ Mexican refuge: the warm, shallow lagoons of the Baja Peninsula, where these 40-plus-foot leviathans go to calf, nurse and mate in peace. Until now, conservationists had considered the area a shelter from shipping, fishing gear, and killer whales — the ocean’s apex predator.

According to reports from researchers and local fishermen, Laguna San

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