PHOTOS: Pacific Octopus Eats Seagull, First Time Ever Photographed

By Gayne C. Young

Posted on May 8, 2012 5:28 PM EDT

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Canadian Ginger Morneau captured a scene on film that no one has before: an octopus killing and eating a seagull. Morneau was walking along Victoria's Ogden Point with her husband Ken and brother Lou Barker when something in the water caught her eye. "It was a stunning moment, to be sure … We were strolling along and talking. I saw the bird in the water and it looked like he was pecking at something underwater," Mrs. Morneau told the Vancouver Sun. When the bird failed to raise its head, Morneau stepped forward to see the octopus. That's when she started clicking pictures.
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The first photo shows the octopus engulfing the gull's head. The sight of this bothered Morneau so much that she thought of rescuing the bird but the steep rocks kept her from doing so. "It's that horrible situation to watch, like a car wreck — it was so primal and gut-wrenching," Morneau told the Sun. "The hair was standing up on the back of my neck."
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Despite this Morneau documented the entire 53-second attack. Afterward she, her husband, and brother had a meal of calamari and "toasted the octopus."
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Morneau's pictures have caused quite a stir on the Internet as they document octopus behavior so far unfilmed. She said she hopes the pictures aid scientists in their effort to further understand the animal's behavior.
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Here you can see the large Pacific octopus begin to drag the seagull underwater. Even researchers who have studied cephalopods for years have never been able to document this behavior.
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"There's a sense of sadness, but I'm an animal person. I understand that nature is nature. I get it," Morneau told the [Sun](Read more:// http//www.timescolonist.com/technology/Victoria+breakwater+edge+giant+octopus+makes+quick+meal+seagull+with+video/6552874/story.html#ixzz1uHgfQC4f). More Incredible Animal Photos
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Amateur photographer Ginger Morneau captured this series of photos of an octopus eating a seagull. This is the first time such behavior has ever been documented.