Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The primary diet of transient orcas includes harbor seals, Steller sea lions, harbor porpoises, Dall's porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and Minke whales. Among these, the harbor seal is the most common prey; one survey estimated that more than half of the diet of transients in the Salish Sea region consists of harbor seals. [ 16 ]
In 1989 American researcher Bernd Würsig published an article about having been attacked by an orca on a beach of the Valdes Peninsula. A single individual, possibly as big as 9 metres (30 ft ), beached towards him while he was watching sea lions about 200 metres (650 ft) away from him in hopes of taking a photograph of an orca hunt.
Beached false killer whales at Flinders Bay, Western Australia, 1986. Every year, up to 2,000 animals beach themselves. [7] Although the majority of strandings result in death, they pose no threat to any species as a whole. Only about ten cetacean species frequently display mass beachings, with ten more rarely doing so. [citation needed]
A wildlife rescue group has warned beach-goers not to disturb seals on the Lincolnshire coast. The call, from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue (CWR), follows reports of people crowding around a large ...
Orca hunting a Weddell seal. The orca is known to prey on numerous other toothed whale species. One example is the false killer whale. [69] To subdue and kill whales, orcas continually ram them with their heads; this can sometimes kill bowhead whales, or severely injure them. Other times, they corral their prey before striking.
Although resident orcas have never been observed to eat other marine mammals, they occasionally harass and kill porpoises and seals for no apparent reason. [106] Some dolphins recognize resident orcas as harmless and remain in the same area. [107] Orcas do consume seabirds but are more likely to kill and leave them uneaten.
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
The great skua is an aerial apex predator, both preying on other seabirds and bullying them for their catches. [8]Apex predators affect prey species' population dynamics and populations of other predators, both in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.