#predation behavior
Credit © Photo by @BrianSkerry
An Orca about to eat a herring in the waters of the Norwegian Arctic. Orca migrate into fiords in this region during late fall and winter to feed on herring that often overwinter here. The orca work cooperatively to ‘corral’ herring into bait balls, then slice through the school, stunning the fish with a whack of their tails, them come back to feed. In late November the ‘Polar Night’ occurs, with weeks on end of darkness. Successful feeding by the orca involves complex communications and echolocation. Specialized feeding strategies such as this are examples of culture found among whale and dolphin families.
#orca #norway #whaleculture #smartanimals
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Ux26Og85h/?igshid=1oquesabjwt94
Post link
This rather heartbreaking clip shows an Orca dragging a baby Humpback Whale by the tail.
I know it’s not sad but the wild is a cruel and unforgiving place. So don’t please don’t hate on us.
Here’s the source of the video
This was filmed off the Baja California peninsula, Mexico by Whale Watch Cabo. These appear to be Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) orcas, which are known to feed on a variety of prey items, including large marine mammals. It’s very rare to capture underwater footage of predation, so this is really stunning.
I can’t quite get clear IDs on them, I’ll have to dig in to the ETP ID guide to see if there are any matches! The adult male looks most closely like E231, but I’ll have to double check.
