Scientists capture amazing rare footage of 'vocal' orcas hunting a minke whale

A group of scientists have captured incredible rare footage of several orcas attacking a minke whale off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

Team members from the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP) spotted the animals hunting during a survey of the area with Team Trip, a partnership between FEROP and the tour company Kosatka Cruises.

"It's an amazing event," Tatiana Ivkovich, a researcher from St Petersburg State University, told Russia's TASS news agency.

"Over the course of all our work, we have once seen orcas finish eating a whale. And here we are, watching the hunt itself."

In the video, the orcas can be seen flipping the minke whale upside down to drown it, one of the tactics employed by the animals to hunt large prey.

The researchers not only filmed the impressive event, but recorded sounds made by the orcas after the hunt.

"When hunting, mammal-eating orcas are quiet, but after the hunt, they were vocalising constantly!" the FEROP team said.

Orcas are social animals and live in pods of up to 30, which they stay in their whole lives. They belong to the dolphin family and are efficient hunters, preying on fish, squid, sharks, seals and turtles.

Killer whales can grow up to 10 metres long and weigh more than six tonnes.

Female minke whales grow to around 8.5 metres long and males grow to about 8 metres. They weigh between five to 10 tonnes.