A whale of a tale this morning from KTVU who feasted on some footage from Monterey Bay of a pod of killer whales feasting on a Sevengill shark: The video comes from Slater Moore Photography, who wrote that they "encountered these infrequently sighted Killer Whales on the 9 a.m. trip aboard the SeaWolf II" earlier this week. "This ecotype of Killer Whales often travels in large groups and were seen about this time last December," the photographer writes, indicating that there were around 25 of the whales and revealing that the video was taken via aerial drone.
"These whales are typically smaller in size than the Bigg's or transient Killer Whale type and they had several very young calves with them," the photographer adds. Indeed, the largest of the whales appears to surrender the shark's body to its young so they can eat, too.
Mary Jane Schramm of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary explained the feeding process a bit to KTVU. Often, she said of the Sevengilll shark, "They flip over on their backs and all of a sudden they slip into what's called tonic immobility... Some animals if they're attacked by a predator, instead of fleeing or fighting, they simply become still, like you might have heard the expression 'playing 'possum.'" Next time the black fish attacks, maybe it's time to try another move.
Related: Video: Whales Breaching In Bay Freak Out Nearby Kayaker