Earlier this week, on August 22, an extremely rare sighting of orca whales and humpbacks was reported near the Farallon Islands. The orcas were seen hunting a group humpback whales, something that was shocking to biologists who viewed the interaction.
The scientists reported seeing 15 orcas, also known as killer whales, hunting the humpback whales starting around 8:00 in the morning and continuing well into the afternoon. It is extremely rare to see orcas hunt humpback whales, as biologist Jim Tietz described to the San Francisco Chronicle, stating that in his over 20 years working around the Farallon islands, he had never seen an attack before the one that occurred this week.
The encounter was captured on video by researchers with the Point Blue Conservation Science. While orcas attacking humpback whales is very rare, it’s not unusual to see an orca attack other prey. Orcas are known to have diverse diets, commonly eating fish and seals. Orca pods hunt in groups, just as they were seen doing to the humpback whales in the Farallones. As an apex preditor, orcas are also the only known predators of the notorious Great White Sharks.
The Farallon Islands are roughly 30 miles west of San Francisco, and are known for the diverse marine life in the surrounding waters. The islands also offer limited opportunities to dive with Great White Sharks that are known to frequent the area. The islands host sea birds and thousands of seals and sea lions. The area is not open to the public; researchers are the only people permitted on the island.
While you can’t go visit the island yourself, you can view a live webcam from a lighthouse on the California Academy of Sciences website to see some of the amazing marine life in real time. To learn more about the Farallon Islands Wildlife Refuge, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Page.