Tourists aboard an Alaskan fishing boat recently caught a rare glimpse of a killer whale in action. The footage, captured on Aug. 15 near Ketchikan, Alaska, shows what appears to be a seal (though the video suggests it’s a sea lion) sticking close to a boat operated by Anglers Adventures & Outfitters. When the boat leaves, and with a camera still trained to the water, the wayward critter is tossed like a rag doll high into the air by an orca in hunt mode.
“A sea lion was hiding under our fishing boat because he was being stalked by a killer whale,” notes the video posted on YouTube. “When we decided to leave the area the whale attacked the sea lion and tossed him 20 feet into the air!”
Cetacean expert Paul Spong with OrcaLab told CBC it’s unlikely the critter survived the encounter: “There’s no question about the end of this. Sea lions are totally aware of orcas and the dangers they represent,” he told the broadcaster.
Photo Anglers Adventures & Outfitters/YouTube
