Orcas will tail slap things to stun or kill them, and some fish-eating orcas do this after corralling a school of fish together into a tight ball or cylinder. Then they swim in fast and slap the edges with their tails, either stunning or killing several fish that they can then just pick out of the floating water.
However, the seal punting the commenter was referring to does indeed seem to be for sport, play, training, or all of the above. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/G7WGIH35JBE?t=21
For one, it shows the sheer power of an orca. According to the NOAA Fisheries, a harbor seal (what transient orcas typically hunt) weights 24 pounds at birth and then 180-285 pounds as an adult. So, if we assume that seal in the video is an adolescent or an adult, the orca is launching something probably weighing at least 100-200 pounds about 50-100ft into the air. I do find it disturbing, but I have seen some cases where the orcas had played with a seal and then let it live.
This discussion of power reminded me of orcas hunting dolphins. The following videos might be harsh if you really like dolphins, but it shows the insane power and speed of an orca. They can move so fast in the water, jump tens of feet out of the water while weighing several tons, and ram things with such force killing them. That's also why I balk at calling them the wolves of the sea. I do not know of a single other predator that has the intelligence plus the insane physicality that they do. I think one would be hard pressed to find a more apex predator.
However, the seal punting the commenter was referring to does indeed seem to be for sport, play, training, or all of the above. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/G7WGIH35JBE?t=21
For one, it shows the sheer power of an orca. According to the NOAA Fisheries, a harbor seal (what transient orcas typically hunt) weights 24 pounds at birth and then 180-285 pounds as an adult. So, if we assume that seal in the video is an adolescent or an adult, the orca is launching something probably weighing at least 100-200 pounds about 50-100ft into the air. I do find it disturbing, but I have seen some cases where the orcas had played with a seal and then let it live.
This discussion of power reminded me of orcas hunting dolphins. The following videos might be harsh if you really like dolphins, but it shows the insane power and speed of an orca. They can move so fast in the water, jump tens of feet out of the water while weighing several tons, and ram things with such force killing them. That's also why I balk at calling them the wolves of the sea. I do not know of a single other predator that has the intelligence plus the insane physicality that they do. I think one would be hard pressed to find a more apex predator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTirD7pCBVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JsBB0BGM4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVbvhtNzFj0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQQMrHYlYvI