This Wednesday we had started out north with a super group of people. Captain Pete, Hannah, and I started out by looking for Transient Orcas that had been spotted near Mandarte Island just across the border into Canada. We followed them over the border for a little two nation tour. We watched this one family of transients spend a great deal of time socializing with each other until they turned quickly towards shore. They quickly organized to entrap and take down a Harbor Seal! These Transients are an ecotype of Orca that inhabit the west coast of North America and feed on marine mammals. This family and all the other Transient Orca families that we see in these waters come here because we have a very large number of Harbor Seals which they prey upon.
We watched this family expertly surround and start to drown their prey. Transients unlike a lot of predators on land and in the sea dispatch their prey through drowning it. This is super impressive since Orcas in general cannot hold their breath as long their prey. Orcas can hold their breath for a round 20 minutes where Seals and Sea Lions can hold their breath for longer than 30 minutes. Some will have to hold the prey underwater while others breath above and serve as a back up in case the seal escapes before it is time for the orcas holding need to switch with the orcas breathing.
Soon enough though, it was all over all orcas dove and started to tear the now dead Seal into chunks. Orcas are very picky eaters so they all work together to take all the fur and skin off, and only really eat the meaty and fatty parts. They also do this all in front of and with the help of a very young member of their family (only a few years old). This is a great and super important part of the learning process for the young ones in how to hunt and what to eat – both learned behaviors! Whale, that’s all folks until next time!
Naturalist Erick
M/V Sea Lion