Watch: Seal tries to hide between mussel farm lines to avoid killer whales

The gripping drone video captured off a coast in Scotland got wider attention after an analysis of it was recently published in a marine life journal.

Eventually the seal was caught and killed by the whales.

The survival of the fittest in the animal world is nothing new, yet netizens are still fascinated whenever a chase in the wild comes to light. The latest hunting game that has everyone hooked online is one between a seal and a pod of orcas or killer whales.

Off a coast in Scotland, a harbour seal was seen seeking refuge from a group of foraging killer whales within the lines of a blue mussel farm in the ocean. The nail-biting thriller caught on a drone camera in Shetland as part of marine research now has got everyone talking online.

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The drone video shows the seal way smaller than the killer whales trying its best to conceal itself between two lines of ropes at the Grunna Voe farm north of Lerwick. However, its attempt to fool the predators goes in vain.

The drone captures the intense moment when the seal tries to swim fast between the lines and hide under top floats. But the orcas are seen lurking outside the lines waiting for the seal to commit one mistake.

Eventually, the prey did leave the ropes and was caught and killed by the pod after leaving its hiding place for open water.

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The hunting session captured by drone operator Nick McCaffrey was analysed by Emily Hauge, a PhD student researching the impact of structures such as fish farms and offshore energy developments on marine animals.

Although McCaffrey captured the footage in March, it got wider attention and went viral after Hague’s analysis of the incident was published in the latest edition of the Aquatics Mammals journal earlier this week.

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According to Sky News, the local drone operator captured 38 minutes of the dramatic chase that focused much on its hiding. But the predators pounced when the seal ventured out of safety, swiftly dispatching their prey.

“Interactions involving man-made structures are rarely, if ever, caught on camera,” Hague was quoted by BBC News. “This makes this footage extra special and very insightful from a scientific point of view,” added the researcher from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University.

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Although she said that it was “fascinating” that these structures also have the ability to be potentially used by prey to hide from predators, she also highlighted its sad impact, Newsweek reported.

“Knowledge of whether marine species interact with, avoid, or accommodate and adapt to such structures is essential to ensure that further development of marine environments do not compromise conservation objectives of marine species,” said Hague in a study published in the journal.

In her study she also discussed such man-made structures’ implications including a potential entanglement risk and human-altered “landscapes of fear”.