Willy and Bambi spotted swimming together near the BC coast (PHOTO)
An unlikely encounter on the high seas was captured on camera this week near the BC coast after a deer went for a swim with an orca whale.
Yes, you read that right.
The photographer, Sam Murphy, snapped the photo of the pair as she was leading her whale-watching tour over the weekend near the BC/US border.
Sam Murphy and Island Adventures
At first, she just assumed the group was watching a lone male Bigg’s Transient Killer Whale, nicknamed Cooper, swimming solo off of Battleship Island, Washington.
It wasn’t until she had another look at the photos that she realized there was a very unusual photobomber in the shot.
“We met up with a lone male Cooper the killer whale. We didn’t realize it at the time, but our photos revealed he swam right past a black-tailed deer!!!”
A closer look at the second photo of the encounter/Sam Murphy and Island Adventures
Deer are remarkable swimmers, but they typically aren’t seen in the company of much bigger mammals unless they are on the menu.
“What are the odds of that?” she said about the encounter.
“It was quite a surprise to us, and I am sure it was quite a surprise to the swimming deer as well!!”
While some might suggest this friendship would turn fatal, you can rest assured.
The deer appears to look perplexed as the whale swims in front of it in this edited close-up shot/Sam Murphy and Island Adventures
Transient killer whales’ diets include other mammals like seals (unlike the residents who rely on salmon for food). The deer did not get eaten.
According to the Island Adventures Whale Watching, they didn’t interact much and swam their separate ways.
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It’s been a wild week to spot unusual things off the BC coast.
Divers were surprisingly more excited than terrified to see a shark off the Port Alberni Inlet last Saturday. The massive sixgill shark swam right up to the group and let them take plenty of videos before it left the area. The divers were not hurt.
Sixgill sharks are deep-water animals. They inhabit temperate seas and cold, deep tropical waters. While they live in the Pacific, it’s rare that they would be seen this time of year and in this shallow water. Most sightings by divers occur in the summer, according to the Vancouver Aquarium.
The group believes the shark had risen from the depths after being attracted to divers’ light.
Watch the videos here.
With files from Regina Ng