Orcas filmed preying on minke whale south of Victoria

A group of transient orcas, or Bigg's killer whales, were seen hunting a minke whale south of Victoria on Friday afternoon.

The dramatic hunt occurred near Smith Island, Wash., about 40 kilometres south of Victoria, and involved nine orcas from two pods preying on a single minke whale.

According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, the orcas were able to bring down the minke whale in about 30 minutes, which is relatively fast for such an event.

Transient orcas are seen hunting a minke whale near Smith Island, Washington. (April Ryan / Maya's Legacy Whale Watching)

Minke whales can reach up to nine metres long and weigh up to 10 tonnes, according to the PWWA.

Bigg's killer whales are known to prey on minke whales, though the orcas generally stick to smaller prey, like seals, sea lions or porpoises, according to PWWA executive director Erin Gless.

Gless says that transient orca attacks on minke whales have been witnessed in the past, but Friday's encounter is probably the "best documented case" of such an event.

Friday's hunt came less than two weeks after a group of Bigg's killer whales were seen battling humpback whales off Vancouver Island.

The two incidents are unrelated, however, according to Gless.

"The orcas involved in the minke attack, the T65A's and T99's, were not the same orcas involved in the humpback encounter," she said.

Transient orcas are seen hunting a minke whale near Smith Island, Washington. (April Ryan / Maya's Legacy Whale Watching)

The Pacific Whale Watch Association is working with the Northeast Pacific Minke Whale Project to identify the minke whale that was killed.

Minke whales are known to visit the Salish Sea seasonally, and it's believed that this whale had been documented in the region as far back as 1982.

"It's thought that minkes only live to be about 50 years old, so despite a dramatic end, this whale lived a full life," said the PWWA in a social media post Monday.

Transient orcas – which mostly prey on pinnipeds – are different from their critically endangered relatives, southern resident killer whales, which mainly prey on salmon.