Blue whales are the largest animals ever to have inhabited the planet -- larger, even, than the great dinosaurs -- but these endangered cetaceans are often elusive and the sighting of one whale is generally considered a special treat.

However, thanks to the recent upwelling of nutrients and a monstrous bloom of shrimp-like krill off Monterey, Calif., the sighting of a single specimen there might now be regarded as a disappointment.

That's because dozens of the massive leviathans have converged within Monterey Bay to gorge on krill. With them are smaller but more gregarious humpback whales, and various other cetaceans.

Together they've transformed the region into a marine mammal wonderland that is luring tourists, scientists and news crews in unprecedented numbers.

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