Video: Bald Eagle Steals Freshly-caught Salmon from Otters
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.21.15
These otters should be thankful the eagle didn’t have a bigger appetite, or it may have been one of them on the dinner plate instead of the salmon. In this video, a family of otters decided to bring their catch of the day to the surface near some docks. Not the best of ideas with a bald eagle nearby.
Bald eagles are actually notorious for swiping food from otters. They do it so much that scientists actually have a term for it: kleptoparasitism. Eagles will also steal food from ospreys, herons, or just about any predator they can overpower, intimidate, or outfly. There have even been cases of eagles attacking other scavengers, like vultures, in an attempt to make them disgorge their food. Birds will often vomit out their latest meal in order to fly away from a threat.
To the victors go the spoils—even if the spoils aren’t particularly appetizing. At least in this case the fish was relatively fresh. There is no info available on where or when this video was taken.
