CEBU, Philippines — An orca, also known as killer whale, allegedly spotted in the waters off Sumilon Island in Oslob town, southern Cebu over the weekend has created a stir among the netizens.
The marine mammal was photographed and posted on Facebook through the account of Jay-r Lagahid Saturday evening.
It garnered over 2,000 reactions before the post was taken down by Lagahid, a local boatman and diver, Sunday morning for an unknown reason.
The FREEMAN tried to reach Lagahid through his mobile numbers, but all calls and text messages were left unanswered since Saturday.
Oslob Mayor Jun Tumulak confirmed the existence of the killer whale, which according to him was first sighted two years ago.
“Mga two years na kuno na nga nagpakita but dili sige. Mao ra’g magpautaw-utaw na sya sa sulog,” he told The FREEMAN in a text message.
The mayor said the local fishermen and personnel of the Department of Agriculture are now monitoring the orca.
“Wala ni siya magpuyo diri dapita. Moagi lang between Sumilon (Island) and Siquijor,” he said.
Oslob Tourism Officer Beth Benologa said the water between Sumilon and Siquijor is “like a highway for sea creatures as it leads to the open sea.”
Unlike whale sharks, she said, the sighting of a killer whale is quite unusual.
She recalled that a blue whale was also sighted off the town waters in 2016.
“Whale sharks are usual sights here, but killer and blue whales are rare,” she said.
Oslob is famous for its dive sites, beaches, and whale shark watching.
Orcas can be found in all oceans including in the Philippines, but they seem to prefer cooler, coastal waters. They are social animals and live in stable family groups called pods.
According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a leading organization in wildlife conservation and endangered species, orcas (Orcinus orca) are a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member.
With between 48 and 52 large, conical shaped teeth, orcas are one of the world’s most powerful predators.
They are black with white patches usually over the eyes, under the jaw, on the belly, and extending onto their sides. Female orcas can grow to 7.9 meters with a one-meter dorsal fin, and males can reach 8.5 meters with a 1.3-meter dorsal fin.
An orca leaves up from 50 to 80 years, according to the National Geographic. (FREEMAN)