A dozen or more people reported witnessing one of the world's rarest wildlife phenomena when an orca rode a wave onto Indian Beach in Trinidad and seized a seal.

Researchers said it may be the first recorded occurrence of its kind in the United States, although similar behavior has been witnessed in British Columbia, Argentina and islands in the Indian Ocean.

Ruby Rollings from the Seascape Pier was alerted to the presence of the killer whales in Trinidad Bay just before lunch Tuesday, and grabbed a pair of binoculars to watch. A large adult orca was swimming in the bay with a juvenile orca and two much smaller orcas, she said.

After a while, Rollings said she say the larger whale ride a wave partway onto the beach and seize a harbor seal in its teeth.

"He bit it, then he slammed the seal against the sand," Rollings said.

Rollings said the whale left the seal on the beach, then headed back into the bay, and eventually out to sea.

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