Orcas At Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
Read MoreAs you can see on the map, Puerto Piramides is the only town on Peninsula Valdes. The rest of the land is divided into large cattle, sheep and horse ranches. The Points (Puntas) mark the approximate range of the orcas during sea lion pupping season. Punta Norte is home to the largest colony of sea lions on the peninsula. It also contains an ideal beach from which to hunt, so most orca attacks occur here. We started early each morning for the 90-minute drive to Punta Norte and returned each evening around 9:00 PM. Long days.
The entire peninsula is a very special place. Here's what the World Heritage Foundation has to say about it: "Peninsula Valdés contains very important and significant natural habitats for the conservation of several threatened species of outstanding universal value, specifically its globally important concentration of breeding southern right whales, an endangered species. It is also important because of the breeding populations of southern elephant seals and southern sea lions. The area exhibits an exceptional example of adaptation of hunting techniques by the orca to the local coastal conditions." Peninsula Valdes is also home to very large breeding colonies of magellanic penguins.
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