Whale watchers got a treat of a different marine mammal kind off the SoCal coast recently.
A pod of what are believed to be thousands of dolphins began to "stampede" near a Newport Landing Whale Watching boat last Sunday.
The dolphins repeatedly jumped out of the water in sight of the boat, which was just off Newport Beach.
The creature was a Pacific footballfish, a type of deep-sea anglerfish made famous in 'Finding Nemo' that has a little bioluminescent light on top of its head that acts as a lure
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The cetaceans are believed to save energy when they leap out of water.
Jessica Roame, the education manager for Newport Landing & Davey’s Locker Whale Watching, said experts don't know what causes dolphins to stampede.
Some theories: predator evasion or chasing a food source.
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"Southern California is one of the best places in the world to see large pods of dolphin on a regular basis," Roame said.
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