Moose are among Wyoming’s biggest and baddest critters, although wolves and grizzlies can be hard on them, especially moose calves.
In coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, moose face terror on another level — possibly getting devoured by killer whales.
“The possibility for killer whales to kills moose is rare, but it does happen, and it’s been documented,” Alaska Department of Fish and Game spokesman Riley Woodford told Cowboy State Daily.
Pack Hunters
Killer whales, or orcas, are extremely intelligent and at the top of the marine food chain.
They live and hunt in groups called pods, which are much like wolf packs. In areas with coastal moose populations, orca pods will take advantage of moose swimming in deep water across coves or between islands.
One particularly gruesome incident happened off the coast of Alaska in 1992.
A pod of four orcas swarmed a pair of swimming moose, killing and devouring the larger one.
The smaller moose survived the initial onslaught, but was so horribly maimed, it drowned a short time later, according to reports at the time.
That incident was chalked up to a horrific, one-time anomaly. But recent research suggests that at least in some areas, orcas gobble moose more often than previously thought, Forbes Magazine reported this year.
Stay Out Of The Water
Moose apparently crave the sodium in aquatic vegetation, and they’re willing to swim to get to it, according to researchers.
It’s when moose are crossing big water, like Alaska’s coves, that they might be at risk of being hunted down by killer whales, Woodford said.
Not all orcas are the same, he added. One subspecies of orcas sticks mostly to eating fish. Most of Alaska’s resident population of orcas are fish-eaters.
It’s the roving pods of killer whales from elsewhere that seem to like red meat such as seals, or the occasional moose.
“It’s most likely to be the transient killer whales that are going to try to kill a moose,” Woodford said.
‘The Kill Switch Was Flipped’
Outdoorsman Guy Eastman of Cody has hunted and fished all over the world and has seen a lot.
He told Cowboy State Daily that he’s never seen orcas hunting moose. But he saw them go after humpback whales while he was fishing off the coast of Mexico.
“The kill switch was flipped on those orcas,” said Eastman, who represents the third generation of the famous outdoor multimedia family that launched Eastman's Hunting Journal.
The adult humpbacks put themselves between their calves and the beach, and far as he saw, saved their young from the killer whales, Eastman said.
But when the orcas were charging toward the humpbacks, they were headed straight for the boat he was on, and Eastman said he was afraid that “they were going to rip right through the boat.”
Luckily, the orcas dove under the boat at the last second.
Given the power and determination he saw the orcas display that day, Eastman said he has no doubt that they’re good at killing moose.
No Fighting Back In The Water
Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven knows Wyoming’s moose well. He frequently follows and photographs moose in and around Grand Teton National Park, including a huge, famous bull named Hoback.
Hoback and other moose are nothing to mess with on land. But moose like Hoback ever made it out to the coast, their confidence could be their undoing, Vangoidtsenhoven said.
“I heard about this (orcas hunting moose) but haven't witnessed it myself yet,” he said. “It's not surprising seeing how moose are strong swimmers, and moose and are unafraid to swim bigger distances.
“When they do this in the ocean, they are easy targets for predators such as orcas. In the water, I don't think moose have many defenses. Kicking with their front legs, their main defense on land, would be very tough to do in deep water, especially against a powerful predator like an orca.”
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
