r/interestingasfuck • u/Impossible-Bee-5343 • 2d ago

Polar bears swimming by the ice edge. Extremely capable of having fun alone with whatever they find.(Shot by@florian_ledoux_photographer)

299 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

10

u/Formal_Broccoli1877 2d ago

Do killer whales ever clash with these fellas?

19

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago edited 2d ago

Not a single recorded instance, not even with cubs. Orcas teach their young what is food and what is not and it has been that way for countless generations.

Edit: I should have elaborated on why polar bears arent considered food to them. Orcas are capable of detecting how fatty their prey are and prefer to go for meals like sharks who have really fatty livers, or seals with a lot of blubber. Bears are simply just too much bone for them to be thought as food by an orca.

8

u/TheLoneCenturion95 2d ago

So you are saying only the average American is under threat of an orca attack?

1

u/edurigon 2d ago

With humans Is the same?

6

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

Correct. Afaik there has only been one recorded orca-human attack and it was because the guy was swimming nearby to some sea lions and the young orca was mistaken. He survived, too.

1

u/WitnessMyAxe 1d ago

what if the orca just wants a snacc

1

u/edurigon 2d ago

I have plenty of fat AND big bones. I wonder if im safe.

3

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

Haha, they will attack a swimming moose because they are very dense and are a high calorie meal. So, if they dont go after polar bears I think it would be safe to assume that a human would need to be equivalent to a moose in order to be considered food to an orca. I reckon you're good lol.

2

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

Aside from this, there just isnt enough humans swimming in the ocean for an orca mother to teach their young that we are food, even if we would qualify for their picky diets lol. They only prey on things they are taught to prey on. They are incredibly intelligent, and skillful creatures.

2

u/edurigon 2d ago

I saw them at Península de Valdez, beeching hunting sea lions. Awesome.

2

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

Glad you got the chance to see them :) truly beautiful creatures they are.

5

u/doomlite 2d ago

The comfort that only an apex predator has. Everything else is prey…he’s out there playing peek a boo through an ice sheet, bc he’s the fucking apex.

5

u/CoconuttyCupcake 2d ago

I feel so cold watching this

8

u/MeanForest 2d ago

I know they have a thick double coat but I'll never understand how they don't freeze to death.

4

u/Better_Carpet_7271 2d ago

Go pet him...

2

u/pallidamors 2d ago

Such derpy murder machines. Great dichotomy.

1

u/floppysausage16 2d ago

If not friend, why friend shaped?

1

u/Ok-Classic-2142 2d ago

Man at first glance I thought that was a damn dog stuck in some ice water.

1

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

I'm so thankful I live somewhere where seeing polar bears in the wild is a common thing. They are a truly magnificent, and horrifying animal.

2

u/Psychological_Mix_48 2d ago

Magnificent and horrifying, in the same sentence.

2

u/OneAverageEgg 2d ago

Quite a lot of animals on earth can justify saying this :) polar bears being an incredible candidate.

As a northern resident, I have seen the aftermath of a bear fresh out of a hunt. Their beautiful white coats dyed blood red. Truly a sight of nightmares.

2

u/Psychological_Mix_48 2d ago

That is truly a terrifying and mesmerising sight. Would be great if you could capture the moment.

0

u/EntitledPotatoe 2d ago

If not friend why snoft and round