Orcas aren’t called killer whales for nothing. They’re incredibly intelligent creatures, and while humans have nothing to worry about — in the wild, anyway — the animals they prey on sure do. A clip from the BBC’s newly released Frozen Planet II shows just how skilled they are in the art of the hunt.
In it, a pod of orcas are seen during an incredibly synchronized hunt. A seal is napping on a slab of ice when it becomes the target of the whales. An orca does something we call “spy-hopping,” in which they poke their heads up out of the water to get a sly look at what’s above the surface. This enables them to pick out unfortunate prey like the seal.
Once two of the scout orcas spot the seal, they call for others in the pod. When they arrive, they work together to knock the seal off its ice sheet. But that’s not the end of it. After the seal is off the ice, the orcas surround in bubbles to confuse it. From there, it’s curtains for the seal. And while that’s certainly a sad thing to witness, it’s an example of just how incredible orcas are.
