Bob Ianson and his family were out strolling by Ogden Point in Victoria, Canada when a fight broke out right in front of them. It wasn’t your usual street scuffle, however: A harbor seal was straight-up wrestling a huge octopus. Per CBC News:
“It was unbelievable,” Ianson said. “That seal is probably, I don’t know, four-and-a-half feet long? So that octopus is a pretty big octopus.”
Ianson said the fight drew a crowd of several dozen people, and was just a metre or two offshore.
“It was almost like the seal was bringing the octopus up the surface to show off what he had,” he said.
As it turns out, the clashing of the two sea creatures isn’t exactly uncommon, according to the Vancouver Aquarium:
“Octopus is a regular part of the harbour seal’s diet,” said aquarium research biologist Chad Nordstrom. “Actually capturing it on film is the rare thing.”
Below, check out Ianson’s photos of the epic brawl, followed by a short news clip from CTV.
https://twitter.com/CindyCarlli2/status/566627819048820737
Incredible Fight Between Seal And Octopus Caught On Camera http://t.co/ErXEMOgrun pic.twitter.com/lVtP29pmp3
— Jamcil (@jamcilke) February 14, 2015
Have you ever seen a seal wrestle an octopus? Now you have: http://t.co/0TcBFmDnzj pic.twitter.com/T5lnlqHKdl
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) February 14, 2015