Amazing drone footage shows killer whale feeding on stingray
Vlogger Clay Tall Stories also went back to find the stingray's carcass, pinpointing the bite marks.
This amazing footage, partially captured by drone, shows a killer whale feeding on a stingray off the coast of New Zealand's South Island - the only country in the world where the predatory spectacle takes place.
The video was created by Clay Tall Stories, a wildlife vlogger in New Zealand who went to Ruby Bay with his drone and binoculars for several mornings before finally spotting what he wanted to see - a killer whale which had come to shallow water looking for stingrays.
Using the drone's zoom from above, he followed the creature as it came to the surface with a stingray clutched in its mouth, with blood turning the surrounding water red as birds circled to catch chunks of meat flying into the air. The camera then kept pace with the killer whale swimming away at great speed, capturing more epic footage of the majestic animal.
The next day, Clay went to the beach at low tide to examine the aftermath of the whale's stingray hunt. He found 12 stingrays washed up, some of which were huge, with body parts such as the liver or wings torn off and teeth marks on the heads, strategically away from the stingers. Sea birds had also begun feasting on the dead rays' flesh.
Underneath the YouTube video, he wrote: "Each year in spring the big eagle rays and stingrays come into the bay where I live in NZ. The Orca feed on the stingray catching them head first or grabbing the tip of their tales to avoid their deadly stingers. NZ is the only place in the world where Orca feeds on the stingray. The stingray has been known to kill the orca with their barbed stings."
Clay was previously reprimanded by the Department of Conservation for getting too close to an orca in his boat in 2013, also while trying to spot it devouring stingrays.
Orcas have a varied diet around the world, preying on fish, seals and dolphins, but have developed novel strategies for finding and feeding on rays only in New Zealand waters. They sometimes dig in the muddy sea bottom for stingrays and can be seen herding them into shallow water, but are occasionally fatally stung by their prey. Around 150–200 orcas can be found throughout New Zealand's coastline.
