Eagle Nearly Drowned By Octopus It Tried To Eat

Facebook / Mowi Canada West

After trying to snag a meal out of the waters nestled along Canada’s western coast, this bald eagle found himself in a very precarious situation – and one that nearly cost him his life.

In a video shared by a fishery native to the area, Mowi Canada West, they show how personnel from the fishery rescued a bald eagle that had become entangled by an octopus it very clearly tried to eat.

“Our staff at our Mahatta West farm in Quatsino rescued an eagle that had bitten off more than it could chew when it tried to catch an octopus. They are used to seeing the wonders of nature around them on a regular basis, but they knew that this was a once in a lifetime experience,” the caption on the video reads.

A bright-red crimson octopus called a Giant Pacific Octopus, had tightly grabbed the eagle after being picked up in the waters nearby and clearly the two plummeted into the water again where a serious struggle ensued. These octopi are known to change color and not all will be seen as crimson-colored. Some of these Great Pacific Octopi can weigh more than 115 pounds.

“At first we just watched and we didn’t know if we should interfere because, you know, it’s Mother Nature,” said John Ilett, an employee at the fishery, according to The Guardian.

Octopus expert, Jennifer Mather, says that the creatures are often quite varied in their choice of prey and even pointed out an example of an octopus eating a seagull in Victoria, British Columbia.

As the expert notes, “If something is on the surface of the water, and the octopus is close to the surface of the water, it’s food.”

The fishery employees used a pole to pry the two animals apart and the octopus shot straight back toward the depths of the water as it changed colors. A few minutes of recovery for the eagle on a nearby log proved good enough and it quickly took off.

Check out this crazy video below.