How do Orca feed? Today we had a great example of how the family works together when sharing their meal as the family carried the last of their Beaked Whale meal and fed in the morning light. It was a beautiful morning with light winds and a big blue sky with a nice chill this morning, autumn must be not too far away! Arriving in the sighting grounds blows were observed and dozens of Shearwaters and Albatross as they dived around the Orca and it was clear there had been success this morning with a Beaked Whale kill. The pod members were excited and raced to meet us as they showed off their meal that they were carrying with them proudly. The Orca of Bremer Bay feed by breaking down their large prey and sharing it with their family. It takes time to pull and tear their meal apart into small enough pieces that everyone can consume safely.
Part of that process involves one individual holding the meat while a second Orca gently grabs the other side and begins to pull. Twisting from side to side the Orca are often belly to belly during this process as the strength of their jaw assists in tearing off a small chunk to consume. Watching the pod members this morning we could see as they shared their meal in this way and slowly but surely the meat they were carrying became less and less. The seabirds love this part of the feeding process as many scraps get left behind which are a perfect size for them but too small for the Orca to consume. Playtime followed as youngster BB was very excited to hang around us today with many 360 passes and belly up time around the Steep Point. It was wonderful to see the family enjoying a good meal and relaxing into their day ahead as they moved out towards The Patch and continued onwards amongst the beautiful bleu sky and ocean. Feeding is such an important part of an Orcas life and today was a good fishing day for BB and the family pod.
