Penguin Escapes Killer Whales by Jumping into Sightseeing Boat

Imagine you’re touring the coast of Antarctica in a small boat full of other tourists. You’re there to cruise around stunning icebergs in the Gerlache Strait. You have your video camera at the ready, because hello, you’re in Antarctica. And then in addition to capturing the chilly, glistening blue of the icebergs, you record a scene straight out of a nature documentary. That’s what happened when Matthew and Anna Karsten of Expert Vagabond filmed a pod of killer whales chasing a penguin through the water.

We learned about this enthralling video from The Independent. The Karstens were observing the orcas along with several other boats. And then, a penguin appeared. Anna filmed the gentoo penguin swimming away from the orcas’ dogged pursuit—right to the moment the penguin escaped by jumping into one of said boats. (If you want to cut straight to the penguin chase, skip to around 1:21. However, know that if you choose to cut to the chase you’ll miss some enchanting footage of orcas singing underwater.)

Everyone seemed remarkably chill considering a pod of orcas had begun following the boat harboring the penguin. I would be considerably more worried that one of the whales would also try to jump aboard to get to its meal. But not these stalwart adventurers!

Expert Vagabond

I know killer whales consuming penguins is part of the circle of life and all, but I could only watch this video knowing that the penguin made it out alive. The penguin was probably confused as heck, but he looked calm hanging out in the boat. After the boats cruised away from the orcas for a short time, the stowaway hopped back out into the water. Hopefully the penguin had a killer whale-free rest of the day.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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