A photographer unexpectedly captured the first-of-a-kind image of a seal spitting a jet of water at a sea eagle — a defensive behavior that was not previously known about.
Photographer and bird-watcher Clare Jacobs was delighted when she spotted a rare white-tailed eagle on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. on January 3, 2022.
Clare had trained her Nikon DSLR camera and 600mm telephoto lens on the eagle when she noticed a grey seal moving in the water underneath.
The large mammal emerged out of the waves, barked at the bird, before opening its mouth and and spitting a jet of water at the sea eagle above it.
As she took the photograph, Clare did not realize that she had just captured something that has never been reported happening from a seal to an eagle. In fact, interactions between top-level predators are basically non-existent.
An Unprecedented Defensive Tactic Captured on Camera
Clare sent the photos to her daughter Megan Jacobs who is a paleontologist from the University of Portsmouth’s School of the Environment, Geography, and Geosciences and fellow paleontologist David Martill.
Captured on camera, the encounter showed the grey seal initially emitting barks of warning, but then resorting to an unprecedented defensive tactic: spitting a stream of water directly at the eagle.
From the photos, Megan and David realized that the seal might have spat at the eagle in an attempt to drive the bird away as a way of defending the prey that they’re both after: the fish in the water.
In a paper published last month, David and Megan reveal how Clare’s extraordinary photos shed new light on the dynamics between these two apex predators.
“Sightings of grey seals and white-tailed eagles are frequent events now on the Isle of Wight, but interactions between these two species have so far not been reported,” Megan says in a statement to University of Portsmouth News.
“This is the first record of an interaction between these two top predators and the first report of grey seals using spitting as a means of defense or deterrence against an aerial foe.
“The spitting may be a strategy to exclude white-tailed eagles from competing for prey as they’re in direct competition for fish resources.”
Clare adds: “I’m always thrilled to catch photos of the eagles. But catching such a rare and never-before-seen interaction made my year!”
According to The New York Times, the photographs makes grey seals one of the few species known to spit — joining cobras, which can shoot venom from their fangs into the eyes of would-be predators, with impressive accuracy.
Image credits: All photos by Clare Jacobs.
