Excited tourists watch 'nature documentary' unfold as predator hunts off Aussie coast
Tourists have watched on with excitement as two unlikely Australian animals came together to perform a fascinating feeding display. Photos highlight the amazing cunningness of a seagull as it scavenges tiny pieces of fish strewn across the ocean by a hungry fur seal.
'When the seals are eating they whack it around to make it a bit smaller, and the birds follow,' Melinda Fredericks from Lonsdale Eco Cruises told Yahoo News.
'We'll often get around a dozen of them. If you watch the bird activity, they're a good indication of when there are seals or even dolphins around.'
Related: Tourists stunned by 'lifetime moment' off the Aussie coast
The spectacle happens regularly around the Victorian holiday town of Lakes Entrance. Tourists lucky enough to see it close-up often describe it as being like 'a nature documentary in real life'.
'Tourists are amazed to see something in the wild like that, animals actually hunting and feeding,' she said.
A week ago, when the seal was smashing up its fish, she heard the familiar cries of 'My God, wow, and look at it,' she said.
😳 Shock moment kangaroo enters suburban home
📸 Carloads of Aussies flock to water's edge as 'exciting' ancient ritual begins
🌏 Farmers lead Aussie research team to 'unreal' discovery on island
Out on the water several times a week, Melinda has been lucky enough to have seen the seal display before. The veteran guide has snapped images of seals attacking an unlikely array of prey, including puffer fish, eels and even an unfortunate octopus.
The seals are familiar with her boat, so they continue on as if no one is watching. But she doesn't like to stay more than 10 minutes, so as not to disturb the animals as they display natural behaviour.
'This time of year we get up to 100 seals, but it goes in cycles. Towards the end of May we'll get heaps of them and their pups. But when November comes, a lot of them will disappear and go offshore,' she said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Hot-Air Balloon Crashes in Brazil, Killing at Least 8 People
At least eight people were killed on Saturday in a tourist region of southern Brazil when a hot-air balloon carrying 21 in all crashed from the sky, state authorities said. They said the remaining 13 people survived the accident, which occurred in a rural part of Praia Grande, a part of the state of Santa Catarina that is popular for hot-air balloon excursions over dramatic canyon landscapes. On Saturday morning, rescue workers were still searching the crash site. The cause of the accident was unclear, according to Jorginho Mello, the state's governor. 'We are in mourning,' he said in a video posted to social media. 'It is a tragedy that has happened. We will watch how it unfolds, what happened, why it happened.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iranians fleeing country describe life under bombs and no internet
STORY: :: Iranians describe their life under bombs and without internet as they flee through Armenia's border :: Meghri, Armenia :: June 20, 2025 "We heard bombs, we were very near them. We were tourists, we were visiting and now we are escaping. It's just awful. Our flights were cancelled, and I have to travel with a little baby, it's just horrid." "Our families in Iran are in a peaceful situation for now, but it is terrible - sometimes they hit Tehran, sometimes Tehran hits Israel. We want peace, so that all this ends as soon as possible. The entire Internet is disconnected - it is terrible, we have no contact with our families at all. We are trying to contact them in different ways. It is a very stressful situation." The border is located 237 miles (386km) from Yerevan, though the drive, which winds along a hairpin mountain road, takes around 8 hours. Sputnik Armenia, a Russian state news outlet focussed on the former Soviet republic, reported on Tuesday that the flow of refugees had seen taxi drivers in the nearby town of Meghri triple their ordinary fares for the trip to Yerevan to $220 per car. With many of Iran's neighbors like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq themselves struggling with internal turbulence, Armenia offers a relatively democratic and stable island in a deeply troubled region. Meanwhile, Iran's much longer border with Armenia's neighbor and bitter rival Azerbaijan has been largely closed since the covid pandemic, although some foreign nationals have been evacuated to Baku by special arrangement.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iranians fleeing country describe life under bombs and no internet
STORY: :: Iranians describe their life under bombs and without internet as they flee through Armenia's border :: Meghri, Armenia :: June 20, 2025 "We heard bombs, we were very near them. We were tourists, we were visiting and now we are escaping. It's just awful. Our flights were cancelled, and I have to travel with a little baby, it's just horrid." "Our families in Iran are in a peaceful situation for now, but it is terrible - sometimes they hit Tehran, sometimes Tehran hits Israel. We want peace, so that all this ends as soon as possible. The entire Internet is disconnected - it is terrible, we have no contact with our families at all. We are trying to contact them in different ways. It is a very stressful situation." The border is located 237 miles (386km) from Yerevan, though the drive, which winds along a hairpin mountain road, takes around 8 hours. Sputnik Armenia, a Russian state news outlet focussed on the former Soviet republic, reported on Tuesday that the flow of refugees had seen taxi drivers in the nearby town of Meghri triple their ordinary fares for the trip to Yerevan to $220 per car. With many of Iran's neighbors like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq themselves struggling with internal turbulence, Armenia offers a relatively democratic and stable island in a deeply troubled region. Meanwhile, Iran's much longer border with Armenia's neighbor and bitter rival Azerbaijan has been largely closed since the covid pandemic, although some foreign nationals have been evacuated to Baku by special arrangement.
