Shooting just off the Victorian coast in British Columbia, Mike Walker captured the rarely seen display of power witness when the male orca launched a Pacific harbor seal 80 feet up.
Rare video footage showing orca flipping seal 80 feet up, in a rarely seen display of power.
The video footage belongs to Roll. Focus. Productions. The outstanding moment has been captured by Mike Walker, the owner of the company which was shooting a promotional video at the time for a whale-watching company. The rare video footage is now viral.
Shooting just off the Victorian coast in British Columbia, Mike Walker captured the rarely seen display of power witness when the male orca launched a Pacific harbor seal 80 feet up.
Also known as transient killer whales, or Bigg’s killer whales, orcas are rarely seen in action like this. Although this behavior is well-known by marine biologists, it has rarely been captured in video footage. As orcas feed predominantly on marine mammals, the seals are a typical prey. The Pacific harbor seal seen in the video likely didn’t survive the enormously powerful slap that punted it in the air.
Squid, fish, porpoises, other smaller whales or penguins and dolphins are subject to the same treatment. One powerful hit with the orca’s giant tale and the marine mammal that fell prey is dead and a hearty meal. In the case of Dall’s porpoises for instance, such a powerful orca tail hit will set remove the entrails, leaving just the fat and muscles to feed on.
If you’re on the lookout for the rare video footage showing orca flipping seal 80 feet up, you might want to check another exciting video where another orca flips a sea lion 20 feet in the air. This particular killer whale is known to marine biologists as T69C.
According to scientists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, T69C was born in 1995. A male orca in its prime has a long way to go until it reaches the golden age of 80.
T69C is part of a larger group of orcas, which are seen hunting together most of the times. And while the strength exhibited by T69C might be a little frightening, the filming crew took all protections necessary.
According to the crew, the video footage was captured from a safe distance. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada ensured that everyone remained safe during the adventure.
Orcas may live until the age of 80. They are known to live anywhere between 50 and 80 years and in fact, they are not whales. Sharing the Delphinidae family with dolphins, they are typically observed to engage in cooperative hunting.
Photo Credits: Checknews
