Seal's close call with killer whale in Patagonia

Rob Lott , a photographer and conservationist, travelled to Patagonia to study and photograph the foraging behaviour of a pod of 18 orcas. Photo: BARCROFT

An astonishing sequence of images showed the orca emerging from shallow icy waters towards the shore in an attempt to feed on the seal pup.

Rob Lott , a photographer and conservationist, travelled to Patagonia to study and photograph the foraging behaviour of a pod of 18 orcas.

"We spent a month watching this pod of 18 orcas near Ponte Note in Patagonia," he said. "Despite their numbers only seven of the Orcas have mastered the stranding behaviour where the orca enters the shallow surf to feed on seal pups.

"On one occasion we spotted Mel, a 50 year-old who had previously been studied by David Attenborough in his "Trials of Life" documentary. We identified him due to his large two metre dorsal fin ad it was great to see him in action."

Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family.

Growing to a length of up to 27 feet, adults weigh as much as 10 tons. They are known to be opportunistic feeders, preying on virtually any large marine animal.

Aside from hunting in the waters, orcas are known to leave the water to grab seals and sea lions from the shore.

"Seal pups are often born in January of each year and as they grow older they become more brave and courageous and head down towards the shallow surf," said Mr Lott.

"Over the years the orcas have figured this out and it is not uncommon for the orcas to feed on the tiny seal pups. Mel is known to be an expert hunter and he will often take a seal from the shore before taking it back to the pod for feeding.

"On this occasion, however, the pup got away, but it made for some spectacular images."

Pictured: Dramatic moment a stingray takes flight from hungry killer whale

With the predator lurking close behind, the intended prey takes flight - quite literally.
This flying stingray was trying to avoid the attentions of the aptly-named killer whale, which was ready to take a bite out of the fish when the stingray made its leap for safety.
While stingrays seem most content to spend their days lying at the bottom of the sea-bed, occasionally sticking their stingers into unassuming human feet, this one proved they can be moved to flights of fancy when needed.
The encounter was captured in calm waters just off St. Heliers beach in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday.
Five or six orcas gathered in the morning sun to feast on the stingrays resting near the shore, while another 30 orcas hung around at the back of the harbour.

A huge crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.
Schoolchildren - who dashed out of class to watch the display - said the whales came right up to the shoreline and 'you would have been able to touch them if you'd tried to reach out'.
Some of the 'spectacles' - if an animal eating another animal can be called such a thing - included a whale flipping a stingray into the air before catching it in the mouth.
Another whale flipped onto its side and struck a sea-gull in midflight. The bird fell stunned into the water, providing another tasty morsel.
The whales receded with the tide at about 10.30am, their bellies full.

Scientist discovers whales may be singing their own names

A German scientist has found whales may be doing more than serenading love interests or telling their pods where the herring is by singing: through their songs, they may actually have names.

“From our research, one can say that whales have signature tones,” said Heike Vester from her lab in the northern Norwegian town of Hennigsvaer. “When many pods of whales come together, the sounds the whales make is very different than if they are just with their own family. This is very important for communicating between groups.”

Pods of whales use clicks for echolocation of food, but the songs they sing are a distinct language that can give instructions too once the food has been found. This means the whales can set a hunting strategy.

“The groups have their own modifications to the language that are learned dialects. It shows other whales the dynamics of that group,” the 39-year-old marine biologist from Baden-Württemberg explained. Killer whales have as many as 17 different tones in their whistles, hum and click that each pod can produce to communicate with the community around them.

When more than one pod of whales meet at a school of herring, these tones allow the whales to communicate specifically with their own pod when hunting, like a family calling each other by name.

Vester has been studying killer whales and pilot whales near the Norwegian coast for 10 years and hopes more understanding of the animals will further protect them. Norway is not bound by a worldwide 1985 moratorium against whaling.

“It’s difficult being a whale researcher in Norway,” Vester said, noting that whale hunters and researchers are in a constant battle for what happens at sea. There is little financial support for her research and her team relies on microphones placed in the area by the World Wildlife Fund.

“The whale population still has yet to recover from the whaling that was done. They continue to suffer from the garbage in the sea, the driving nets and chemical pollution such as pesticides out there. These animals are endangered and they need our protection,” she said.

Whale calf terror off Gold Coast

HUMPBACKS heading north better watch their backs, after a pod of killer whales was spotted in Gold Coast waters yesterday in fast pursuit of their dinner.

Spirit of Gold Coast skipper Jason Roberts said four killer whales about 5m long were seen about 10 nautical miles off Tallebudgera at 9.45am.

And it's expected great white sharks wil not be too far behind.

Mr Roberts said the whales were travelling so fast that crew members almost missed a glimpse of them.

"For three years killer whales have been seen just off the Gold Coast," he said.

"There is the possibility that we will see more of them in coming years as the population of humpbacks increases.

"They were really thrashing around in the water and moving at around 16 knots."

Mr Roberts said killer whales hunted baby humpbacks, feasting on the calves' tongues and lips.

With more humpbacks migrating north each year, it was logical their biggest predators, the killer whale and the great white shark, would come hunting.

"It was a really special occasion for everyone on board," he said.

"It's a rare sight to see.

"Killer whales feeding on the baby humpbacks is just part of nature."

As humpback whales start to migrate up the Queensland Coast, recreational boat owners are being warned to keep their distance.

Queensland Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said while the annual whale migration was an amazing sight, some weighed more than a fully loaded semi-trailer and should be given a wide berth.

"Last year, some boats crowded around whales on the Gold Coast and skippers put themselves, their passengers and the whales at risk," she said.

"A number of boaties were given warnings last whale season and our marine rangers intend on ramping up their monitoring efforts this year.

"Boats cannot go any closer than 300m to a whale if three or more boats are already closer than 300m to a whale.

"Boats cannot go any closer than 300m if moving in a similar direction to or behind a whale, moving at more than four knots."

The maximum penalty for intentionally moving closer to a whale than permitted under the conservation plan is $12,000.

On-the-spot fines ranging from $300 to $500 may also apply for contravention of the conservation plan.