Blue Whales Spotted off King Harbor

A pod of blue whales—including a mother and her calf—was spotted Monday in the Santa Monica Bay about a mile from the mouth of King Harbor, City News Service reported.

The news helicopter from television station ABC7 caught the whales on camera, and the station aired the video during one of its morning news shows.

Recently, a Long Beach-based whale-watching boat spotted about a dozen blue whales feeding in Southern California waters.

Blue whales are a protected species, and experts believe there are more than 10,000 worldwide. Their numbers dwindled in the early 20th century, but in 1966, governments across the globe banned the hunting of the largest mammal in the world.

Blue whales can grow to about 90 feet long and live for as long as 80 years. They feed on krill and plankton from the ocean by filtering it through a mouthful of stiff fibers called baleen.

City News Service contributed to this report.