A terrified seal pup has been captured on film seeking shelter from a pod of killer whales by hiding beneath a boat.
The incredible footage was captured with an underwater camera by wildlife fans and brothers Vivian and Nigel Clark, who were out fishing.
Mr Clark noticed the three orcas circling around a patch of water at around 1pm on Sunday, off the coast of Eshaness in Shetland, and moved in to see if they could catch some of the fish they thought the orcas were hunting.
But, once they drew closer to the scene, they saw the aquatic hunters were actually surrounding a baby seal.
Mr Clark said: “It was floating belly up and looked dead, but, as we got a bit closer, it flipped over and came straight to the side of the boat and was trying to get on board.
“The whales were sweeping past the boat at quite a speed, it seemed as if they were trying to use their wash to get the seal from the boat.”
Killer whales are opportunistic predators, and hunt a variety of other creatures including mammals such as seals, fish and sea birds.
The species is highly intelligent, and is known to sometimes play with its food – which could be what took place in the waters beneath Mr Clark’s boat.
The young pup was filmed trying to jump up to the safety of the boat, and Mr Clark attempted to coax it into a fishing basket, but the animal opted to stick close to the hull as the craft moved towards shore.
Mr Clark added: “The wee fella hid at the stern of the boat behind the outboard leg for a bit while the whales kept circling about.
“We let the boat drift in towards the shore to give the seal a chance to make shore.
“The whales disappeared as did the seal when we got in closer, but we never saw any commotion or blood in the water to indicate they had got the seal – I can only hope he made it.”