An incredible collection of images show a seal thrashing an octopus around with its tentacles in order to break it up into bite-sized pieces.
In the unusual underwater combat, this hapless octopus faced up against a big seal. In an attempt to break up its food for the day, the cape fur seal brutally thrashed the hapless octopus about while clutching it in its teeth.
Wim Van Den Heever, 45, captured the beautiful photographs at False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
‘When a seal captures an octopus that is too big to swallow, they take them to the surface and viciously thrash them about, so the octopus can be tiny enough for the seal to consume,’ explained Wim from South Africa. It’s common behavior, yet it’s rarely observed, let alone photographed.
‘My favorite shot from the series is the one with the octopus intact and the seal clutching it in its teeth – it truly conveys the seal’s ferocity.’
It stinks to be you! The seal thrashes the octopus about in the water, gripping it hard with its teeth to ensure that its food is not lost.
Ten-tackle! The tremendous thrust of the seal sends the octopus upward, where it is broken up into little pieces before consuming its food.
Helicopterpus! The seal, shown here whirling the octopus around Sea legs, has strained it to breaking point. The seal thrashes around in the water, holding the remaining octopus in its mouth.
Fast food has snapped several of its tentacles! In South Africa, an octopus soars above the surface of the ocean while a seal keeps a piece of its supper in its jaws.
Photographer Wim Van Den Heever (shown right), who shot the incredible sequence of images in South Africa, is de.ad in the ocean.
Say good-by! The seal thrashes around with the octopus’ carcass, which has been deva.stated by the at.ta.ck.
