Date: 17 July 2012
I witnessed an epic battle between a spearnose skate and a Cape fur seal near Roman Rock lighthouse one morning in July. I first spotted what I thought was a discarded piece of pale plastic floating just below the surface.
I moved the boat closer to investigate and possibly to retrieve it, when I realised it was in fact a large skate, floating upside down just under the water. Spearnose skates are mottled brown in colour with a slightly pointy little nose. They are an unusual sighting – I hadn’t seen one before today.
I stopped the boat to check it out, and a large Cape fur seal appeared and hovered around the skate as if to claim it for his own. For a short while nothing happened, and I thought the skate might be dead.
Suddenly the skate burst into action, flipping itself out of the water to turn over, and tried to escape from the seal.
The seal was too fast, however, and before the skate got far he caught it in his jaws. The water was churning around them and I didn’t know where to point the camera!
When I saw the seal surface with a piece of the skate’s disc in his chops, I knew it was game over for the skate.
The seal then proceeded to show off like a plump, furry ballerina for me, twirling about over the skate’s body.
I think the seal ate a bit more of the skate after I left.
Never a boring day on the Bay!
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