8:42 AM: Three orcas are in Elliott Bay, headed toward downtown, according to a texted report from Kersti Muul. Let us know if you see them!
9:51 AM: Thanks for the updates in comments, and the photo uploaded by A Labs.
Near cruise ship and needle. Likely predation event0915
Carrying prey item generally west .. with some directional changes. Now mid bay in front of marina, as views from Duwamish head
Maybe a primer is needed for some of us, but what is a “prey item?”
Is that when the Southern Resident Orcas “bully” and play with juvenile porpoises, sometimes to death?
Is a “predation event” when non resident Orcas prey on a seal in mass?
Do the Orcas that eat seals also eat our local porpoises?
I ask this because last month I witnessed a group of Harbor? porpoises while looking for reported Orca sightings off of Bainbridge.
I never saw the nearby Orcas, but many reported they did.
Prey items are whatever the chosen menu item is, so to speak. Seal, sea-lion, porpoise, etc. Instead of eating/sharing in situ, today they drug it around (also a common behavior)This is completely different than ‘porpoise-cide’ that the SRKWs do, but not often. SRKWs do not eat them.A predation event is when they are predating upon a prey species. So, a actively killing, or trying to.Yes transient killer whales prey on porpoises too. Have seen them chase otters too but not kill them.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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