No other whale deliberately beaches itself in this way,
or has perfected this method of getting back to the sea.
As long as the sea lions stay well up the beach,
you might think they would be safe.
But the hungry whales are very daring.
Now several of the whales are hunting in a group.
That sea lion was keeping just ahead of one of the whales,
but was caught by another it probably hadn't seen.
This savage beating may be to separate hide from flesh.
But very often the successful hunter
takes its victims straight out to sea without even killing it.
And there it plays with its catch as if it were exalting in triumph.
To get all the food it needs,
a killer whale must catch at least three sea lion pups a day
and every day throughout the breeding season
this group of skilled highly intelligent hunters do just that.