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Female Orca Whale Successfully Claims a Meal

Occurred on April 2, 2020 / Punta Norte, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina

Info from Licensor: "The video is recorded in April 2020 in Punta Norte, the north of Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. The access to the beaches is limited, you need a guide or researcher to get there. It is one of the only places in the world where you regularly see orcas beaching themselves in order to capture sea lion pups. On only about 30% of each season, the orcas show up and attack. That only happens in March and April each year when the sea lion pups practice in swimming close to the shore. Once they grow older, they become too fast and agile in the water for the orcas to capture. One sea lion pup has about 1 Million calories due to the layer of fat they gain by their mother's milk. The orca pod is as big as 23 animals, of which only about 18 are hunting with this special technique. The orca in the video is called Mica (PTN-008) and is a 18 year old female. The day of the video, she was seen with a new calf. I was with a researcher and some friends on the beach that day. I've been attending orca seasons in Punta Norte since 2016. The orcas don't recognize us as we keep a distance and stay calm. That day the whole family of Mica attacked several times, most of the attacks were made by herself. In the video, she captured a sea lion pup and shared it with her family after."

Location Punta Norte, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
Occurred not known
Posted By Lina Grube
Posted On Sep-17-2020

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