^e^ift-h 



Terror in 

 the Tide 



Southern elephant seals and sea lions 

 colonize the beaches on Valdes Peninsula 

 in Patagonia, Argentina, where they 

 produce hundreds of pups each year. In 

 April, during the austral autumn, many 

 young sea lions leave their mothers to 

 take their first ocean swim — a venture 

 that is fraught with danger. Immature sea 

 hons face not only the mundane hazards 

 of tides and rocks, but also predacious 

 killer whales attracted to the vicinity each 

 year at weaning time. 



In their pursuit of sea Hon pups, whales 

 make spectacular lunges that sometimes 

 leave them temporarily stranded in the 

 shallows. Although they occasionally 

 take young elephant seals, the whales 

 prefer the sea lions. The powerful 

 cetaceans typically toss the pups in the air 

 and may kill and eat them right away. 

 Frequendy, however, they throw the 

 dazed little sea lions around before eating 

 them, just as cats toy with mice. Marine 

 mammal speciaUst John K. B. Ford, who 

 studies whale vocahzations, snapped this 

 picture just as a female killer whale 

 snatched a pup from the beach. 



This female is well known to 

 researchers, who have been observing the 

 area's whales for more than fifteen years. 

 She constantly travels with four younger 

 whales, presumably her offspring, and 

 does all of the hunting. After capturing a 

 sea Uon pup, she usually tums it over to 

 her brood. In this instance, the young 

 whales played with their captive for 

 several minutes, then kiUed it and shared 

 the meat.—/?. M. 



Photograph by John K. B. Ford 



99 



