'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
Tomis Filipovic, a naturalist and photographer with Eagle Wing Tours, was photographing whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Thursday when a humpback whale surfaced with its mouth wide open to catch a group of small fish.
Caught up in the feeding frenzy was an unsuspecting harbour seal, which Filipovic photographed inside the whale's mouth as it closed.
"Luckily, a humpback's throat is only about as wide as a grapefruit, so it can't take in anything bigger than that," Filipovic said in an interview Monday. "And it was just sloshing the water around, trying to get this seal out of her mouth."
The whale, identified as "Zillion" by Filipovic and researchers at the Pacific Whale Watch Association, eventually managed to spit the seal back into the water unharmed.
"The seal ended up spilling out the side and going free," he said.
While Filipovic says birds will sometimes get caught by lunge-feeding whales, he has never seen it happen to another sea mammal.
"I have been whale watching for the last six years and have never seen anything like this happen," he said.
Humpbacks, which typically feed on small fish and krill by straining large volumes of water through their mouths, have surged in numbers off British Columbia in recent years.
The comeback has prompted conservationists to warn boaters to be extra cautious in areas that humpbacks frequent because the mammals are especially susceptible to vessel strikes due to their surface-feeding behaviour and unpredictable travel patterns.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc MPs will vote confidence in Liberal government next week: Blanchet
The Conservatives' first shot at toppling the Liberal government is likely doomed to fail, after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters his MPs will vote confidence in the government.
Federal government to further limit number of international students
The federal government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter Canada next year. It's the government's latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians' ongoing housing and affordability concerns.
Exploding electronic devices kill 20, wound 450 in second day of explosions in Lebanon
Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country. The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000.
Here's why you should get all your vaccines as soon as possible
With all these shots, some Canadians may have questions about the benefit of each vaccine, whether they should get every shot and how often to get them, and if it's safe to get them all at once or if they should space them out.
'I'm here for the Porsche': Video shows brazen car theft in Mississauga
Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.
Search for suspect in Kentucky highway shooting ends with discovery of body believed to be his
Authorities say they believe the body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on a Kentucky interstate highway has been found.
First-of-its-kind facility hopes to launch Canada into rare earths market
A Saskatchewan organization is breaking ground as the first to commercially produce rare earth metals in North America.
Jeremy Dutcher makes Canadian music history
Jeremy Dutcher made Canadian music history Tuesday night by winning a second Polaris Music Prize for his second album, Motewolonuwok.
Teen faces new charge in Sask. high school arson attack
A 14-year-old student who allegedly set her classmate on fire is facing a new charge.