Watch This Lone Seal On A Small Patch Of Ice Evade A Pod Of Hunting Orcas

Featured Image Credit: NOAA
By: Laura O’Brien

Orca whales are intelligent, graceful mammals; however, their outstanding hunting abilities are what truly set the species apart. Orcas, otherwise known as killer whales, hunt in packs with deadly precision and accuracy. The highly intelligent creatures even use different techniques to attack their prey.

PBS lists some of the hunting techniques which orcas use and teach their young. Orcas use a technique called “wave washing” to get seals that seek refuge on floating ice into the water. The orcas swim quickly toward the ice, speed under it, and use their tails to create a wave that knocks the seal into the water, where the whales can attack. Orcas have a technique for catching small fish called the “carousel”, as well. Using that technique, orcas herd groups of fish into a tight ball, and stun them with their powerful tails. That technique allows the whales to catch large amounts of fish that would usually be too small to bother chasing. Orcas even have techniques that they use against other whales, such as “pod pinning”. In this technique, orcas chase and trap their prey in shallow waters.

The lucky travelers on a Lindblad expedition witnessed an incredible display of orcas’ cunning and prowess in the Grandidier Channel, Antarctica. A videographer captured the terrifying scene as a group of orcas attempt to eat a seal that is perched on a piece of ice. The whales begin to use their “wave washing” technique to get the seal, which the group named Kevin, into the water. The rest of the hunt can be seen in this stunning video.