Matt Karsten, 40, and his wife, Anna, 32, caught incredible footage of an adorable gengoo penguin barely escaping its death from hungry killer whales in the Antarctic.
The couple was visiting the Gerlache Strait near the tip of Antarctica in 2019 when they spotted pod of killer whales swimming near their boat, and “playing in the water” right beside them, New York Post reported.
For several minutes, tourists sat against a stunning backdrop of vast oceanic glaciers and crystal blue sky while the startling reality of natural selection unfolds less than 100 feet away.
Karsten, a travel writer based in Mexico’s Yucatan, began filming the once-in-a-lifetime-experience after he noticed the pods swimming near their boat.
The moment quicky turned stressful as the whales begin chasing a penguin for their next meal. The video shows the penguin emerging from the water for survival.
“Back and forth they went with the penguin swimming fast with the orcas on its trail. Eventually the poor penguin tried to jump into a nearby zodiac boat,” he said, referring to the dinghy boat.
The flightless bird showed an incredible effort to stay alive and eventually hopped onto the tourists’ boat, making a successful escape from the orcas.
“It was crazy to see in person. It was like watching a National Geographic episode on location,” Karsten told Kennedy News Agency. “I imagine the penguin was very relieved to get away.”
“The orcas did follow the zodiac boat for a while,” said Karsten. “After cruising for a little bit, the penguin said goodbye to the boat and hopped back into the icy water,” he told Kennedy News.
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