Killer sea beasts seen indulging in 'cruel' act near California coast

Spotting whales in the ocean is always a fascinating sight for wildlife enthusiasts and tourists on boats waiting to catch a glimpse. A group of killer whale calves made an appearance along Monterey Bay last weekend.

Photos clicked by local tour group Monterey Bay Whale Watch and shared on social media showed the whales frolicking in the water. However, one of them was seen with its prey in its mouth, a black sea bird, and bobbing into the water.

The act of playing with the dead bird by the whale is being termed "cruel". However, experts say there are several reasons why the sea beasts do it.

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SF Gate reported about the act with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries spokesperson Nicholas Rahaim telling the publication that the behaviour could be "play, could be practice (if a young animal), could be teaching (if a mom in the presence of calf), etc".

Orcas hunt in a group and can be found in both open seas and coastal waters. Their hunting technique, similar to that of a pack of wolves, is the reason why they are also called killer whales.

Killer whales are known to engage in such playful acts. There have also been other interesting sightings of these sea creatures lately.

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Albino whale spotted

SF Gate reported that a rare killer whale was spotted as far south as Ensenada and as far north as British Columbia by a tour group last month. Nicknamed "Frosty", it was all white.

According to Monterey Bay Whale Watch, the albino whale's milky colouration could be either because of leucism, a genetic condition in which the creature loses its pigment, or Chediak-Higashi syndrome, a disorder that leads to partial albinism.

Several more similar sightings of the killer whales are on the cards this season. Monterey Bay Whale Watch group shared in a Facebook post that the whale calves "have made our secondary killer whale season so exciting this year and October is only getting started!”