West of Hvammsvík in Hvalfjörður a few days ago, a family of orcas was captured on video in their hunt and eventual killing of a seal just beyond the family’s home.
A lesson for the little ones
This was a special event to witness, especially as it seemed that the mother may have been teaching the calves how to hunt. The hunt was not a high-speed chase, making the assumption that the kill was only for a lesson, all the more likely. The video, kindly shared by Hörður Jónsson, captures the two-minute event of the orcas circling the seal.
The seal who had a name
Both animals had been recognized by locals, as the family of orcas was seen at the beginning of May in the Westfjords, according to Vísir. Additionally, the seal, Selli, had been given the name by Hörður’s family. Selli had previously made a home in a cove near the family’s home, who captured the hunting event right outside their living room window. However, a new seal quickly found its way onto the beach that Selli had previously called home.
Hörður admitted that it was “an absolutely amazing scene,” albeit a “cruel manifestation” of the cycle of life.
You can watch the video here, or in the banner above.
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