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TheFlyingBoxcar t1_ja8t45n wrote

Reply to comment by wanderyote in A cougar was observed swimming 1.1 km (0.68 miles) to an uninhabited island in Pugent Sound. Researchers find other records implying mountain lions can swim even farther to hop between islands, likely >2 km. “We are redefining the mountain lion in our minds as an animal that can swim.” by TR_54

Yeahfirst thing I thought was this is how you get eaten by orcas

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gobbo t1_ja8ytxa wrote

Orcas are fussy eaters: the Salish sea resident J pod, for instance, only really eat salmon, and the genetically nearly identical, but culturally quite different transient pods, are particular about eating seals and sea lions and whales and things with lots of fat on them.

Chances are the transients would ping this feline and realize it's nothing but sinew and bones with almost no fat and not worth eating.

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dr3wzy10 t1_ja9ei6m wrote

they eat wolves in the PNW, so I feel like it wouldn't be much of a stretch for them to also eat a mountain lion given the opportunity

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gobbo t1_ja9rvxz wrote

OK, that's really interesting! How often, and which orcas?

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Frosti11icus t1_jabg5lv wrote

There are Sea Wolves in the Upper Pacific Northwest. They are packs of wolves who swim between islands to hunt. IDK if it's true Orca's are hunting them...but they aren't very well studied anyway so I doubt there's anyone looking for evidence.

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dr3wzy10 t1_jaa4iqo wrote

Orcas have been observed preying on terrestrial mammals, such as deer swimming between islands off the northwest coast of North America

took that from the wikipedia page. I think the same area that these orca have been observed eating deer that swim in the water has a pack of wolves that also swims in those waters. So, maybe what i said is a stretch from a stretch but still within the realm of possibility i believe.

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