VIDEO: Gigantic Whales Saving Seals from Orcas

What happens in the deep blue ocean is still mostly a mystery for us, but this doesn’t mean that when we get the chance to see some of it we are not totally impressed by it.

These tiny glimpses we get of sea creatures really spark our interest and make us wonder just how intelligent they are and what they are capable of.

According to dailymail.co.uk, whale watchers across the world have been spotting acts of animal altruism in the oceans, with humpback whales saving seals from packs of hungry orcas.

One photo, snapped by biologist Robert Pitman in 2009, shows a seal being nestled under the huge flipper of a humpback, out of the reach of hungry jaws.

The Weddell seal, which had been knocked off a chunk of sea ice, had narrowly escaped becoming dinner for a pod of orcas after the whale wedged itself between the predators and their prey.

According to Live Science, the biologist – who works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to tag and track whales – had seen a pair of humpbacks squaring up to orcas circling a seal just a week before the incident.

He captured the striking image on a research assignment in the Arctic Peninsula, with the image raising questions about the intentions of the humpbacks and whether they were heeding distress calls from the seal, or had an ulterior motive.

‘The image appears to show a humpback whale protecting a Weddell seal from a pod of orca,’ said Lucy Babey, survey and conservation manager at whale and dolphin conservation charity ORCA.

Dr Pitman and fellow biologist John Durban described seeing a pod of orcas going for the seal when an enormous humpback swept the animal onto its chest, lifting it out of the water.

Writing in Natural History magazine, the pair describe the maternal-like behaviour as ‘allomaternal care’ – the term attributed to an animal providing maternal care to another which is not its own.

Orcas are intelligent pack hunters which use sophisticated hunting techniques.

Documentary film-makers have captured orcas circling seals on ice flows, causing waves to break the ice into smaller pieces so they can go in for the kill.

But the cetaceans – which are members of the dolphin family – have been known to feed on humpback whale calves, if they have a chance to separate them from their mothers.

To deter their monochrome attackers, the adult humpbacks bellow and crash their enormous flippers and tails into the water.

Researchers believe it could possibly be the excited sounds made by the killer whales in the final stages of the hunt which cause humpbacks to make a beeline for them.

Previous research from Dr Pitman and NOAA colleagues revealed a spate of at least 22 attacks by orca on Humpback groups – and on at least 14 occasions the prey was killed and left to mercy of opportunistic sharks.

During the attacks, the team also spotted a number of defensive techniques adopted by the Humpback whales.

They used coral reefs as a form of shelter and protection, and the mothers were also seen pushing their calves into shallower water.