Incredible moment grey seal SPITS a jet of water at an eagle to stop it snatching fish during unusual ‘first of its kind’ battle on the Isle of Wight
- Birdwatcher Clare Jacobs captured the rare encounter in Newtown harbour
- The seal and the eagle, both predators, compete directly for fish
A gray seal has been caught spitting a stream of water at an eagle to prevent it from grabbing it in an unusual ‘first of its kind’ fight.
Birdwatcher Clare Jacobs managed to capture the rare encounter in Newtown harbor on the Isle of Wight.
Experts say the spitting tactic is a defensive strategy used by the gray seal to prevent the bald eagle from stealing fish.
The seal and the eagle, both predators, compete directly for fish.
Ms Jacobs said the eagle began diving towards the water at Newtown Harbour, but as it got closer the seal emerged from the surface directly below it and delivered the jet stream.
Birdwatcher Clare Jacobs managed to capture the rare encounter in Newtown harbor on the Isle of Wight
Ms Jacobs said the eagle began diving towards the water at Newtown Harbour, but as it got closer the seal emerged from the surface directly below it and delivered the jet stream.
The seal and the eagle, both predators, compete directly for fish
Megan Jacobs, palaeontologist at the University of Portsmouth’s School of the Environment, Geography, and Geosciences, said: ‘Sightings of gray seals and sea eagles are now common on the Isle of Wight, but interactions between these two species are still ongoing. not reported for a long time
Experts say the spitting tactic is a defense strategy used by the gray seal to prevent the bald eagle from stealing fish
Mrs Jacobs said: ‘I always love taking pictures of the eagles. But catching such a rare and unprecedented interaction made my year.”
Her daughter, Megan Jacobs, is a paleontologist at the School of the Environment, Geography, and Geosciences at the University of Portsmouth.
She said: ‘Sightings of gray seals and sea eagles are now common on the Isle of Wight, but interactions between these two species have not been reported to date.
‘This is the first record of an interaction between these two top predators and the first report of gray seals using spitting as a defense or deterrent against an aerial enemy.
‘Spitting may be a strategy to exclude sea eagles from competing for prey, as they compete directly for fish resources.’
White-tailed eagles, the largest of all European eagles, can reach a maximum wingspan of 2.6 meters (8ft 6 in).
Megan added: ‘Spitting is an unusual behavioral activity among vertebrates, which is why this event is so fascinating: it challenges our existing perceptions of animal defense mechanisms.
‘I’m very pleased that we have photographic evidence as spitting is usually only seen in humans, camels, llamas and alpacas, as well as in some snakes where it is used for delivering venom, and it can also be used for catching preyed upon by the archer fish.’