Squid hunting with Southern Ocean Orca it was today as six successful kills were made with a significant oil slick left behind each time signalling their hunting prowess. Arriving in the sighting grounds we had blows within minutes as four family pods were identified today including precious Orca calf Warnie who is now three years old. Warnie was first observed as a young calf without a dorsal fin which is believed to have occurred prior to birth (born without a dorsal fin) or shortly after due to possible birthing difficulties where a pod member can damage the delicate skin of a newborn while assisting the mother during labor. Although the dorsal fin is an important part of balance for an Orca when such a young calf has to adapt to swimming and growing without one it enables them to adjust very early on in life. Warnie is looking strong, happy and healthy which make us very happy as well and grateful to watch his growth over the last three years.
Amongst the feeding dives of the Orca we had an exciting sighting of a Southern Eagle Ray who was very large and moving quickly. Growing to more than fifty kilograms and three meters in size they are an impressive species that often travel to southern, cooler waters during our summer months using the Leeuwin current as a handy highway for their travels. Thankfully they are not on the menu of the Orca so they have a safe passage through these waters that prove dangerous if you are a squid or Beaked Whale during this time of the year. Today the family would capture a squid and consume it quickly before regrouping again and during this phase of their foraging we would have Warnie and other Pod Members swim over for greetings and socialising. It was a great day to be with the Orca and even better to see them feeding well throughout the morning and into the early afternoon and it is this consistency of food which is so important to the Orca. Food is their energy and when they are feeding well momentum is being built to ensure they are able to continue foraging strongly in the days ahead resulting in more food and so the cycle continues for these apex predators.
