Stampede of a Thousand Dolphins Left Many Californians Amazed

A "dolphin stampede" of up to 1,000 dolphins smashed tourists on a charter boat off the coast of southern California.

Last month off the coast of Dana Point in Orange County, the Dana Wharf Whale Watching expedition kept up with the stunning sight for four hours.

The sight was dubbed a stampede by the charter operator, but it's more aptly described as a "super" or "mega" pod of dolphins.

Dolphins in Cali

While dolphins are seen all over the world, most prefer the warmer waters of the tropics, but some, such as the right whale dolphin, prefer colder climates. Dolphins eat mostly fish and squid, but others, such as the killer whale, also eat large animals such as seals.

Male dolphins mate with several females on a yearly basis, but female dolphins only mate every two or three years. Calves are usually born in the spring and summer, and the females are solely responsible for their upbringing. Some species' mothers swift and nurse their young for an extended period of time. Dolphins make a number of vocalizations, the most common of which are clicks and whistles.

Dolphin Pods

A group of dolphins living together as a collective group is called a pod.

A pod consists of around 12 dolphins and is the most popular social community of dolphins.

When a group of pods congregates in an area with plenty of food, they will number up to a thousand people, forming a massive group known as a superpod.

Superpods don't last for long and eventually separate into their own schools or pods.

The term "school" is often used to refer to a group of dolphins.

Mega-pod

Dolphins usually stay in small pods of 25 to 50 individuals, but they will sometimes join up with other pods to form a superpod or a mega pod.

"Even in their frenzied action, they are so graceful, and we are so amazed to see them right off our coast," the company wrote in the introduction of its YouTube video of the scene.

"Even in their frenzied action, they are so graceful, and we are so amazed to see them right off our coast," the company wrote in the introduction of its YouTube video of the scene.

Whale Mega-pod

A charter boat captain registered thousands of whales over miles of water off San Diego's coast in 2013.

Joe Dutra of NBC Channel 7 News in San Diego said, "You could see them as far as the eye can see."

"They're drawn to sort of the same thing," marine mammal specialist Sarah Wilkin said at the time, and they might "wind up in the same place."

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