Cute cuddly seal turns into vicious rage monster

Alaskan harbour seal after ripping a tentacle from an octopus.  Inset - before the encounter.

We hiked up a small peninsula while visiting Kodiak Island in Alaska.  There was a seal that was just offshore; we saw it popping its cute-looking head up for air from time to time.  There was nothing surprising about that as seal sightings were a common occurrence during our cruise.  What came next was spectacular.

A lot of commotion suddenly took place as the seal reappeared, this time with something long and pink in its mouth.  Then it began to shake its head violently, in the same manner that a dog does with a toy.  The seal was facing away from me for most of the encounter, but it did come around momentarily during its thrashing motions.  Somehow, it managed to tear the limb off of an octopus.

The entire scene lasted only a few moments, and I was lucky to get a few frames of the event.  From what I can tell, the arm was removed underwater, as none of my other photos showed anything more than a detached limb.  I can imagine the seal encountering an octopus on the ocean floor with the seal grabbing onto any part of its prey that it could get.  With seven other arms and the strength of its kind to its advantage, the octopus would have held on for dear life by clinging to the rocky benthos.

With its strong bite and fierce thrashing, the octopus lost its arm and no doubt jetted off to safety.  Meanwhile, the detached limb kept moving (octopus limbs may move for up to an hour after being separated from the body).  The seal surfaced, continuing to thrash in response to the detected motion.  It disappeared after this, no doubt to consume it small but well-earned meal.

I must say, I never considered seals to be quite so violent.  They may look cute, but there is a real monster hidden behind those large, black, liquid eyes.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com