Watch A Dog Swim For Its Life As Two Killer Whales Close In On It

Written by Kirstin Harrington
Updated: October 24, 2023
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Orcas, also known as killer whales, are incredibly majestic creatures. Male orcas can grow to be 30 feet long and have dorsal fins that can reach heights of 6 feet. The dorsal fins of female orcas, which grow to a length of 25 feet, are smaller. 

Don’t Miss This Incredible Encounter in the Video Below!

Orca follows dog to shore

Orcas can weigh between 8,000 and 16,000 pounds. Orcas have a lengthy lifespan. Males can live to reach 60 years old and females can occasionally live up to 90 years. Orcas exhibit a surprising degree of group variety. 

These whales differ from one another, just like humans, in how their social groupings are organized, how they act, how they communicate, and even what they consume. As others have said, cultures are made up of these group-specific habits that are carried from one generation to the next.

Female orcas can live up to 90 years.

©ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER / CC BY 2.0, Flickr – License

A diver visiting Matheson Bay in New Zealand got an up close and personal interaction with orcas. Although these animals are beautiful, just like other wild creatures, you’ll want to keep your distance. 

The free diver must have spotted the orcas as he was making his way back to land since he sprinted out onto the rocks as soon as he did. He appeared to be surrounded by at least four orcas, one of which was a mother and her calf. 

A Surprise Visitor

While the diver gets to a safe place, we suddenly see an unsuspecting black lab retrieving sticks out of the water. The precious pooch spots the animal and starts doggy paddling toward the shore. It’s truly incredible to see how smart this dog is, even in an environment he may not be used to. 

Hunting is a particularly fascinating feature of orca society. Orcas display a similar level of culinary prudence to humans when sampling new foods for the first time. In essence, orcas are finicky eaters and will typically overlook anything that is not on their family’s menu. As a result, orca groups all around the world have evolved various hunting techniques, each tailored to their favored prey.

Orca Casually Throws Seal 80 Feet in The Air Like It’s Playing Catch Cover image

Orcas are picky eaters and prefer what their other family members eat.

©slowmotiongli/Shutterstock.com

Fear sets in as the orca follows the dog as close as possible Eventually Fido is standing partially in the water that reaches his belly. This isn’t deep water by any means and it’s shocking how far inland the killer whale came in. The whale likely had its eyes on the prize and wasn’t focused on nearly beaching itself. 

In an almost touching sense, the dog begins barking at the whale… telling it that this is his territory. Surprisingly, the whale doesn’t swim off once it loses sight of the pooch. In fact, it sticks around for quite a while. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Dan_Manila/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Kirstin is a writer at A-Z Animals primarily covering animals, news topics, fun places, and helpful tips. Kirstin has been writing on a variety of topics for over five years. She has her real estate license, along with an associates degree in another field. A resident of Minnesota, Kirstin treats her two cats (Spook and Finlay) like the children they are. She never misses an opportunity to explore a thrift store with a coffee in hand, especially if it’s a cold autumn day!

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