Orcas on the Hunt

Orcas on the Hunt — page 1 — 1 chapter on the hunt It is an overcast evening off the coast of Antarctica A freezing cold breeze blows A pod or group of orcas swims just below the waves Their large dorsal fins loom above the water's surface The orcas swim over to some ice floes or sheets of floating ice They are hunting for seals which rest on ice floes between dives for food A pod of orcas swims through the Antarctic sea ice looking for hunting food What are they

Orcas on the Hunt — page 2 — The orcas lift their heads out of the water One of the pod members spots a crabeater seal lying on an ice floe But the seal is not safe even out of the water One orca moves in This adult female orca is huge She is four times as long as the crabeater seal The other members of her pod have noticed the seal now and come closer They will work together to catch the seal Orcas bring their heads above water to find seals on ice This is called spy hopping 5

Orcas on the Hunt — page 3 — The Catch The female orca pushes her body against the ice floe turning it around Members of the pod also move some other nearby pieces of ice away They move the floe into the perfect position to wash the seal off of it The adult orcas line up perfectly They charge the ice floe creating a big wave This wave washes the seal off the floe where hungry orcas are waiting to catch it by its tail Orcas swim up to and dive under the ice floe using their tails to push ice the wave over the

Orcas on the Hunt — page 4 — THE WAVE PUSHES THE SEAL TOWARD A WAITING ORCA The seal tries to escape but the orca's 4 inch long 10 centimeter teeth keep a tight grip on it Underwater the orcas tear and eat chunks of seal After finishing the meal seal the orcas swim off in search of their next

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