Seal being hunted by Orcas hides in Shetland mussel farm
- Published
The seal hunt off Shetland was captured from the skies by drone
A seal being hunted by Orcas in Shetland has been filmed trying to escape by hiding at a mussel farm.
The harbour seal attempted to conceal itself between two lines of ropes at the Grunna Voe farm north of Lerwick.
The drone footage was analysed by a PhD student Emily Hauge at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University. She described it as "extra special".
The seal was eventually caught and killed by the Orcas after leaving its hiding place for open water.
Ms Hauge researches the impact man-made structures can have on marine wildlife.
She said it was was "fascinating" to see the mussel farm being used by prey to hide from predators.
"The drone footage gives us a whole new perspective on how marine life, in this case two top predators, are living with man-made structures in our seas," she said.
"It's fascinating that these novel structures in the marine environment are potentially being used by prey to hide from predators."
The orcas followed alongside the seal which sheltered in between the two lines of mussel ropes
However, she also warned of the risk of entanglement if creatures spend more time around locations such as fish farms or offshore energy instalments.
Drone pilot Nick McCaffrey captured the footage in March, after being alerted to the whales through a Facebook page detailing sightings.
He recorded 38 minutes and sent it to Ms Hauge for study
She added: "Interactions involving man-made structures are rarely, if ever, caught on camera."
"This makes this footage extra special and very insightful from a scientific point of view."
Ms Hague has published her analysis of the incident in the the latest Aquatics Mammals journal., external