Sea lions on high alert! Moments before I shot this photo, a pod of orca whales passed close by, and there was a huge splash. Many of us watching from a boat thought we had witnessed an orca taking a sea lion. Our guide, however, proclaimed that the orcas were fish-eaters, not mammal-eaters.

From a sea lion’s point of view, since they can’t exactly ask the whales what kind of meat they eat, they were rightfully frightened.

Later, I did some research and learned that fish-eating orcas don’t steal occasional seals or sea lions on the side. Their strict choice of food is passed down through generations of family groups. Mammal-eating orcas also exist in the region, and they are called Bigg’s killer whales.

One way to tell the difference is by dropping a microphone into the water and listening. We did that. Fish-eating orcas are constantly communicating. Mammal-eating orcas, on the other hand, rarely make noise or echolocate while hunting, which prevents seals and sea lions from hearing them.

(Photographed on Vancouver Island.)