Seal Takes a Ride in Humpback Whale’s Mouth

September 18, 2024 Martin Walsh Wildlife

A whale accidentally catches a seal in its mouth. — Photo: Tomis Filipovic/Eagle Wing Tours

Wildlife photography is as much about luck as skill, but you have to take your opportunities. Photographer Tomis Filipovic certainly made the most of his.

While photographing whales, Filipovic caught a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Vancouver Island, Canada. A feeding humpback whale accidentally caught a harbor seal in its mouth, spitting out the undoubtedly confused seal soon after.

“Luckily, a humpback’s throat is only about as wide as a grapefruit, so it can’t take in anything bigger than that,” Filipovic told CTV News in an interview.

Filipovic wasn’t the only observer to capture the moment. Brooke Casanova with Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours also landed a shot of the rare encounter.

Photo: Brooke Casanova/Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours

Martin Walsh

Martin Walsh is a writer and editor for ExplorersWeb.

Martin spent most of the last 15 years backpacking the world on a shoestring budget. Whether it was hitchhiking through Syria, getting strangled in Kyrgyzstan, touring Cambodia’s medical facilities with an exceedingly painful giant venomous centipede bite, chewing khat in Ethiopia, or narrowly avoiding various toilet-related accidents in rural China, so far, Martin has just about survived his decision making.

Based in Da Lat, Vietnam, Martin can be found in the jungle trying to avoid leeches while chasing monkeys.

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