This Desperate Seal Takes Refuge on an Ice Floe Only to Get Flicked Off by Orcas

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When you are a seal and you spot some hungry orcas behind you, an ice floe is just what you want to spot. The problem is that orcas know exactly how to deal with ice floes. This particular orca pod dives under it in a synchronized move that creates a wave powerful enough to break the ice into little bits. Now the seal is in real trouble and the orcas know it. They take another dive and this time they flick the seal off the ice and into the water. The seal has become the orcas’ next snack!

What Do Orcas Normally Eat?

Orcas are marine animals that can be found at depths of 900 feet or in shallow waters looking for food. They usually stick to a home range and the senior members of the pod know where most of the food is. Pods can contain just a few orcas or there can be over 50. They share prey and rarely leave each other for more than a few hours. As we see here, orcas often hunt as a group.

These guys are some of the most accomplished predators in the ocean. Some studies have been carried out on orca stomach contents to determine exactly what they eat. As you can see in this clip, they are very fond of seal meat. However, they also eat sea lions, small whales and dolphins and fish. They have also hunted smaller sharks, squid, sea turtles, and sea otters. Small prey is swallowed whole. Larger prey is torn up before being swallowed.

How Do Orcas Normally Hunt?

When it comes to hunting, orcas use their brains as much as their power. They are ruthless and skillful predators who know exactly how to dislodge a seal from an ice floe. This is sometimes called the ‘wave wash’. In a tight formation, they charge towards the ice floe and create a huge wave. They leave it until the last minute to dip under the ice creating a final push to the wave with their tails. This either washes the seal off the ice or breaks up the floe.

This is not the only move that they have available to them! They also use a karate chop move on sharks where they stun them with their tail. For fish, they use a ‘carousel’ feeding method where they use air bubbles to herd fish into a group and then slap them with their tails!