Rare fight between orcas and adult humpbacks captured off Vancouver Island (VIDEO)

Pacific Whale Watch Association/YouTube

Some whale watchers witnessed a clash between a group of orcas and a humpback whale in the waters between Vancouver Island and the recently.

The rare sight was captured by Captain Gary Neumann while on a Prince of Whales whale watching tour on September 29. He came across 15 transient Biggs orcas that were antagonizing two humpback whales over the course of about three hours, Prince of Whales spokesperson Colin Griffith told Daily Hive.

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“While these mammal-eating orcas have been known to prey on young humpbacks, there were no juveniles reported to be present, which is what makes this event so uncommon,” Griffith said. “Naturalists on the scene even described several instances when the orcas were traveling away from the humpbacks and the humpbacks would in fact pursue them.”

The video was shared on YouTube by the Pacific Whale Watching Association. In it, the orcas are seen breaching at the surface while a humpback waves one of its fins above the water.

Griffith added some orcas in the group are typically seen on the outer coast rather than the Juan de Fuca Strait, where they were spotted September 29. Transient orcas tend to eat aquatic mammals, whereas resident orcas prey on salmon.

“Both transient orca and humpback populations have been steadily on the rise over the last several years, largely because humans have stopped hunting both the whales and the orca’s main food source — seals and sea lions,” Griffith said. “Because of this, it’s possible we may see more clashes like this in the future!”