Green Group discussion

https://www.adn.com/arctic/2017/03/03...

Fascinating! Orcas are awesome predators. I'd swim away, too! ;-)

It's truly frightening to see how human impacts are changing ecosystems in dramatic ways all over the planet, on land and in the sea.

I saw a programme on this topic - don't remember if it was Nat Geo or Discovery. The killer whales had discovered a narwhal nursery area and suddenly headed straight for it. Scientists had radiotagged three orcas and were following the pack, which had only recently been able to access the Arctic Sea. But they had clearly found this inlet previously as they went straight there and trapped almost twenty narwhals. The narwhals went up in the shallows as described but the orcas chased after them onto the shores and got them all. One straggler tried to swim for open water but he was also chased and killed. The scientists in two boats were clearly stunned and unhappy with what they were seeing.

A local man was interviewed and he said "It's great, the orcas chase the narwhals up on the beach where we can catch them." But I don't think he'll like it when there are no narwhals left. The orcas are finding it increasingly hard to get food anywhere else. In an ocean world display I have seen an orca throw itself onto solid ground at the edge of the pool, hang around there and flip back into the water. So I have no doubt that they can and will pursue narwhals onto the beach.

Thank you for the follow up info, Clare.