Scientists reveal what really happened when a seal threw an octopus at a kayaker

An unruly seal which shocked a kayaker by throwing an octopus in his face was trying to stun its prey before eating it, scientists have revealed.  

The surprising incident was captured on a GoPro camera off the coast of Kaikoura, on New Zealand’s South Island.

Kyle Mulinder was paddling when the seal burst out of the water, launched into the air and whipped the octopus directly into his face.

The seal was trying to stun the octopus and mistook Mr Mulinder for a rock, according to scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand.

‘Seals will often try and get their prey out of the water and above the surface to gain the upper hand in a tussle,’ NIWA posted on Facebook. 

‘Once out of the water they will try fling them about to stun them.

‘At that point it is normal for a seal to try fling the octopus against a hard object to tear the octopus apart. So to the seal, the kayaker seemed like a reasonable enough object.’ 

Mr Muliner said he was sitting in the middle of the ocean when the seal suddenly emerged.   

‘I was like ”Mate, what just happened?”’ he said.

‘I was like ‘mate, what just happened?’ The double-whammy was captured on a GoPro off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand

‘It was weird because it happened so fast but I could feel all the hard parts of the octopus on my face like ”dum dum dum”.’

He winced and screamed as his peers erupted into laughter. 

Although the octopus put up a good fight, Mr Mulinder said the seal came out on top.  

‘It was weird because it happened so fast but I could feel all the hard parts of the octopus on my face like ‘dum dum dum’ Mr Mulinder said of the incident