Stunned tourists watch on as group of 50 killer whales hunt a migrating humpback near Sydney
- Group of about 50 killer whales were seen off the coast of Sydney on Tuesday
- The group, seen by a tourist boat, was hunting humpback whales on migration
- Killer whales are a member of the dolphin family and often hunt seals and sharks
A group of 50 killer whales were spotted on Tuesday hunting humpback whales.
The unusually large number of orcas were seen by a group of tourists on a tour boat about six nautical miles off Botany Bay, off the coast of Sydney.
‘I’ve been whale watching up here since 2004 and I’ve never seen the killer whales so close to shore off Sydney before,’ Go Whale Watching guide Simon Miller told 9 News.
A group of 50 killer whales were spotted off the coast of Sydney on Tuesday
‘They are a type C killer whale and they’re predominantly found in the Ross Sea down in Antarctica,’ Mr Miller said.
Killer whales are a member of the dolphin family and are apex predators, often hunting seals, whales, and even sharks.
Humpback whales are in the middle of their annual migration north to warmer waters.
‘Killer whales can grow up to nine or ten metres in length and can be very powerful mammals (they) are not a common sighting off Sydney, the last killer whales were seen a few years ago,’ marine researcher Vanessa Pirotta said.
Populations of killer whales are found in all oceans and most seas in the world.
They prefer coastal areas to the deep ocean, however, the mammals appearing in such great numbers so close to a major city is a rare sight.
The humpback whales are in the midst of their annual migration north to warmer waters
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