Orca pods combine to hunt sea creature off California. See ‘once in a lifetime’ video

For 50 minutes, multiple pods of orcas worked together, hunting off the California coast.

Two orcas, the matriarchs among the group of about 30 whales, on April 2 circled a 20-foot-long minke whale, according to Colleen Talty, a research biologist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

The other killer whales, identified by the California Killer Whale Project as individuals from 12 different pods, waited in anticipation, all within a half-mile.

“Eventually, once the minke whale got so tired, that’s when it actually ended up drowning,” Talty said.

For the next 5 1/2 hours, the creatures feasted.

“I was in tears a couple of times,” Talty said of observing the orcas feast on the minke whale.

Not only did the whales, which included six baby killer whales, feast, but they also “celebrated,” Talty said.

“We saw tons of breeches and tail slaps and spy hops,” Talty said, “so that was also really amazing.”

While it’s common to see orcas hunt other prey, like sea lions and gray whale calves, Talty said seeing the hunting of a minke whale is rare.

So rare, in fact, that Talty said this is only the sixth time researchers have seen orcas hunt a minke whale in Monterey Bay since 1991.

“It felt like a once in a lifetime experience,” Talty said.

After the company shared an aerial video of the hunt, Facebook users marveled at the sight, calling it “incredible.”

“What a day,” another user wrote.

In addition to the hunt itself being rare, Talty said the sheer number of orcas in the bay was also uncommon.

“Oftentimes, they’re in very small groups,” Talty said. “They stay within their family groups.”

Talty said it was only her third or fourth time seeing more than 20 orcas in an area in her six years working for the company.

“It was an incredible experience,” she said.

This story was originally published April 3, 2024 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Orca pods combine to hunt sea creature off California. See ‘once in a lifetime’ video."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.