A group of transient orcas, or Bigg's killer whales, were seen hunting a minke whale south of Victoria on Friday afternoon. The dramatic hunt occurred near Smith Island, Wash., about 40 kilometres south of Victoria, and involved nine orcas from two pods preying on a single minke whale.
A group of transient orcas, or Bigg's killer whales, were seen hunting a minke whale south of Victoria on Friday afternoon.
According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, the orcas were able to bring down the minke whale in about 30 minutes, which is relatively fast for such an event.Minke whales can reach up to nine metres long and weigh up to 10 tonnes, according to the PWWA. Gless says that transient orca attacks on minke whales have been witnessed in the past, but Friday's encounter is probably the"best documented case" of such an event.off Vancouver Island."The orcas involved in the minke attack, the T65A's and T99's, were not the same orcas involved in the humpback encounter," she said.The Pacific Whale Watch Association is working with the Northeast Pacific Minke Whale Project to identify the minke whale that was killed.
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Orcas photographed preying on minke whale south of VictoriaA group of transient orcas, or Bigg's killer whales, were seen hunting a minke whale south of Victoria on Friday afternoon. The dramatic hunt occurred near Smith Island, Wash., about 40 kilometres south of Victoria, and involved nine orcas from two pods preying on a single minke whale.
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Orca predators take down large minke whaleTwo families of killer whales worked in tandem to bring down the nine-metre minke, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
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