Watch: Orcas hunt dolphins off San Diego and it’s no contest
The owner of a San Diego-based whale-watching business on Friday shared a video clip showing an orca lunging after an elusive dolphin during an “amazing game of cat and mouse.”
But Domenic Biagini told ForTheWin Outdoors that this was just a tiny portion of an orca hunting spree that he captured with a drone three weeks ago in remote offshore waters.
Biagini operates Gone Whale Watching San Diego. His footage is posted below and contains a warning, “Viewer discretion is advised,” because it shows orcas chasing and catching dolphins, and swimming with dolphin flesh.
“During the hunt, the older whales try and teach the young whales how to participate, so while this may appear cruel, it is actually a vital teaching and bonding moment for the entire family!” Biagini wrote in his YouTube description.
Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, or killer whales, are encountered mostly off Mexico but occasionally visit Southern California waters, where common dolphins are abundant.
Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family and ETP orcas prey predominantly on smaller dolphins and other marine mammals.
