Things have been pretty quiet on the pinniped front here in West Seattle. Our pups are due to arrive late July and September, though we could be surprised with early pups. We thought, however, that you might enjoy this story of one very smart seal who leapt aboard a whale-watching boat in the San Juans to escape becoming lunch for the transient orcas. Our resident orcas don’t eat the seals that live in our waters. But the transient killer whales that visit Puget Sound definitely have seals on their menu. And our seals are smart enough to know the difference. In fact, studies have shown that NW seals can discern the different vocalizations of the residents and transients. When they recognize the sounds of the visiting orcas, their behavior changes radically as they become targets for the visiting pods. See our website for more local and international news stories about seals.