Killer Whales Bring The Hunt Onto Land

[Kor37 9]

Killer whales bring the hunt onto land

By Damian Wroclavsky,Reuters

Posted: 2008-04-16 21:12:19

PLAYA PUNTA NORTE, Argentina (Reuters) - A six-ton orca, or killer whale, torpedoes toward the beach, its dorsal fin cutting the Patagonian sea. It launches itself onto the sand in an explosion of water and foam.

 

Before the waters die down, the orca is shaking its immense head from side to side with a sea lion pup clamped between his jaws.

 

Then the orca wriggles into position to catch a wave to carry it back out to sea.

 

This is a rare occurrence, in which a whale seems to defy its instincts by coming onto land, risking death if it becomes stranded on the inhospitable beach.

 

Only seven orcas in the world are known to hunt this way, all of them members of a pod that patrols the coast of Patagonia's Valdes Peninsula at this time of year. It happens almost exclusively in March and April -- early autumn in the southern hemisphere -- when baby sea lions are learning to swim.

 

One of the favorite hunting spots is at Playa Punta Norte, the northern tip of the peninsula, where a deep channel leads up to the sand, passing between two rocky areas where sea lions breed.

 

The sea lion pups learn to swim by crossing the channel between the rocks. Once they can swim well, they are too fast and agile for the orca. But the youngest ones, who stay on the sand at water's edge, are perfect prey.

 

The orcas can beach themselves several times a day, but this hunting method is risky. Whales can die if they remain out of water, so they have to time the waves and judge distances carefully.

Obviously, these whales are from the rare sub-species known as Evel Knievelous...............