This otter's quick thinking saved its life.
They do not call Alaska the "Last Frontier" for nothing. Many parts of the state are still completely wild and untamed. It is common for residents to see the brutal life-and-death struggles play out right in their own backyards or near their workplaces. This is exactly what happened to boat captain John Dornellas in Halibut Cove.
John spotted an otter swimming in the bay that was unlucky enough to find itself far from shore with a hungry and ferocious orca whale lurking just beneath the surface.
With nowhere to go, it looks like this otter is about to become another link in the food chain. That is, until the clever creature decides John's boat is a good place to take refuge from a giant ocean predator! See it all play out in the video below.
This video shows just how smart both orca whales and otters are. The orcas clearly knew the otter had taken refuge aboard the vessel, which is why they kept circling it. Once the otter climbed aboard, you could clearly see its natural fear of humans kicking in. At the same time, the otter hesitates jumping back into the bay because it knows an even greater threat waits just beneath the surface!
In the end, it seems the otter finally realized its only chance of survival was on the boat with the human as it climbed back on multiple times as the orcas tried to figure out a way to get their lunch. The video's description states that the otter stayed on board until Dornellas headed to his next destination when the otter jumped out after putting some distance between himself and the hungry whale.
We must say, we got a good laugh out of the otter's ingenuity here. It truly outsmarted that whale. Considering killer whales are considered one of the smartest animals on earth, that is no easy feat!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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