A black-tailed deer and a killer whale might not appear to be likely buddies, but a pair was spotted up close and personal recently near the United States-Canada border.
The rare encounter took place at the San Juan Islands in Washington State; whale and deer swimming past one another as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
But Murphy didn’t spot the deer paddling in the water right then. It was only when she got home and looked at her pictures that she was amazed to see it, the news outlet reported.
The orca was a male Bigg’s killer whale T124C known as Cooper, and this massive predator seemed disinterested in the little deer.
Gless said: “I think sometimes, because they are called killer whales, people get this assumption that they’re just, you know, mindless killers that are out there hunting everything that they come across. But the truth is they are selective. Just like when we’re going through the pantry, we would much rather have, you know, a nice juicy burger than maybe a rice cake, like this deer might look like to this particular orca.”
The incident happened near Battleship Island, close to Sidney Island. Located in the shadow of the Olympic Mountain Range, the islands are part of the San Juan Island archipelago which features pristine waters and abundant nature. The great Pacific Northwest is home to some of the world’s most impressive wildlife. Nothing shows this diversity better than the image of a swimming deer right alongside a whale.
Island Adventures gave prizes for the two picture captions it deemed wittiest.
The comment “This deer wishes it was at the bank. That’s where a buck is safe” by social media user Eric Barnes, and the other from Jackie Murray, “Oh deer, I’ve made a bigg mistake!” were announced as the two winners.
Definitely handy for paddling away from a hungry whale!
