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	Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus, feeding at the surface. Note the baleen on the upper jaw.  Fin Whales and other Rorquals take large gulps of water & small prey, then strain the water through their baleen which traps the prey.
	Cetaceans spend only a fraction of their time at the surface. They are first noticed by the 'blow' (seen & heard). Later followed by the back, dorsal fin, and flukes (tail fin). This Fin Whale just 'blew'.
	This photo follows the previous. For the large baleen whales, the dorsal fin only breaks the surface after the blow, when most of the body has already submerged. The flukes of Fin Whales rarely break the surface during a normal breathing cycle.
	Here is another sequence of a Fin Whale 'blow', in three parts (a).
	After the blow, the back emerges (b).
	Finally, the dorsal fin appears, then the whale submerges (c).
	A fin whale feeding near the surface. The mouth opened towards the left of the screen. They often roll to their side when feeding at the surface, which brings their pectoral fin out of the water (white edged).
	The whale falls back into the water (follows previous; note the pectoral fin can still be seen).
	This fin whale lunged out of the water while feeding on krill at the surface.  The waters around Tadoussac, Quebec are popular for whale watching.
	The throat pleats of Rorquals allow them to gulp huge volumes of water.
	This Fin Whale presents its dorsum (upper body or back) toward the camera while feeding.
	The dorsum of this fin whale is towards the camera. In the center of the view is the whale's left eye.
	The whale (above) submerges.q
	A humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, also feeding at the surface. Humpbacks are also Rorquals (notice the throat pleats). They are easily distinguished by their large pectoral fins (megaptera = large fin; mostly white here) and distinct flukes.
	Humpback pectoral fin seen as the whale descends after feeding.
	Krill
	Feeding sequences of humpback at surface (a)
	b
	c
	d
	e
	Hotel Tadoussac, the main landmark of the town. Site of the movie, Hotel New Hampshire.
	Humpback dorsal fin.
	Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, the smallest of the rorquals and smallest of all baleen whales.
	Minke
	Minke
	Minke near the shore of Tadoussac and the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. Minkes & Belugas can often be seen from shore (note the walkway with handrails).
	Beluga - the white whale or sea canary, Delphinapterus leucas, a toothed whale. A small population of Belugas reside here, the most southerly population of this species.
	Gray seal looking at the whale watchers.
	Gray seal - bored with people watching.
	A non-marine mammal, the common marmot.
	An educational display about the nutrients and plankton, or 'Estuary Soup' at the base of the food chain. Baleen whales feed relatively low on the food chain (2nd-3rd consumers). Thus, the available food energy is relatively large and so are they.
	The town of Essipit, a native american village where we embarked into the fog and a fabulous day of whale watching.
	Boarding the zodiacs in our exposure suits.
	The ISBE and guide.

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