成人快手

Although harrowing at times, observing an orca family hunting sea lion pups at Peninsula Valdes was also fascinating. Orcas here have an unusual way of hunting, striking onto the beach to snatch the pups in the shallow surf. It’s a technique that takes years to learn, but they only have a short season to hunt onshore, between March and April – early autumn in the Southern Hemisphere – while the sea-lion pups are learning to swim.

There are a huge number of variables the orcas take into consideration in making each strike – the direction of the wind and its strength, the tides, the time of day, the current position of the sea lion colonies on the beach. There are different sea lion colonies dotted all along the northern beaches of Peninsula Valdes, and the orcas have several different options for where they chose to stage an attack.

To film such a complex hunting strategy, we needed to gain an understanding of all these factors very quickly to give ourselves the best chance of being in the right place, at the right time. Fortunately we were in good hands, working with the advice and help of Juan Copello. Juan grew up on a farm just metres from the beach here, and has been watching this fascinating hunting strategy since he was a child. With his advice, taking into account the same weather conditions – when the forecast was accurate! – we had to make a decision each morning which was the best beach to head for. From then on, it was a waiting game, in the predawn chill, hoping we’d made the right choice.

Orcas can travel along the coast at speed, so choosing where to hedge our bets was an everyday anxiety. Even with Juan’s advice, it’s impossible to put yourself fully in the mind of an orca, and they were frequently unpredictable. If they cruised past the beach we’d chosen, they moved too quickly for us to follow them elsewhere.

When we did make the right choice and the orcas turned up in front of us, watching the mother orca teaching and training her young was both fascinating, and spooky. Even though you can’t hear them communicating, and visibility from the beach is limited, it is apparent what a sophisticated process this is, and just how intelligent these animals are. Not just random, opportunistic strikes, but a thought-out, considered masterclass in strategy, being taught to the younger generations.

These are long-lived, highly social animals. Females can live up to 80 years. And watching the matriarch teaching her young to hunt the sea lion pups, their intelligence is evident. After a brief couple of months the orcas return to deeper waters and the sea lions leave the beaches until next year when hunting school begins again.