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CORRECTION Humpback Gulps Seal
CORRECTS SPELLING OF SOURCE - This photo provided by Blue Kingdom Whale and Wildlife Tours shows a seal in the mouth of a humpback whale on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in the waters off of Anacortes, Wash. (Brooke Casanova/Blue Kingdom Whale and Wildlife Tours via AP)

A bewildered seal found itself in the mouth of a humpback whale

A photograph by a naturalist captured a seemingly bewildered seal in the mouth of a humpback whale after the giant marine mammal unintentionally gulped it

By MANUEL VALDES
Published - Sep 18, 2024, 07:15 AM ET
Last Updated - Sep 18, 2024, 07:15 AM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) — It's a good thing seals aren't on a humpback whale's menu.

A photograph by a whale-watching naturalist captured a seemingly bewildered seal in the mouth of a humpback whale after the giant marine mammal accidentally gulped it last Thursday in the waters off Anacortes, Washington.

The food mix-up began while a Blue Kingdom Whale and Wildlife Tours boat spotted birds flying over a school of fish and a humpback whale swimming toward it, Captain Tyler McKeen said. He said the humpback then used a lunging feeding technique, where the whale opens its mouth wide and takes in small fish and water. But instead of remaining underwater afterward to filter through its baleen, it surfaced and began opening and closing its mouth.

After the whale went back underwater, photographs and videos were checked by whale watchers.

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