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Incredible video shows orca leaping into the air in Gulf of California

The up-close footage shows killer whales chasing dolphins off the coast of Mexico.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2014, file photo, a female resident orca whale breaches while swimming in Puget Sound near Bainbridge Island, Wash., as seen from a federally permitted research vessel. Habitat protections for an endangered population of orcas would be greatly expanded under a proposal to be advanced by NOAA. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, Mexico — Editor's note: The above photo is a file picture. It is not a photo of the whales in the story.

One family of orcas put on a show for some lucky spectators off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The powerful predators were caught on video zooming through the water while hunting dolphins in the Gulf of California.

One particular moment shows a dolphin jump out of the water followed by an Orca leaping about 15 feet in the air. 

Onlookers on boats surrounding the spectacle cheered in amazement. The incredible moment was caught on camera and shared on social media by marine biologist Afelandra Glez Cibrián.

Orcas, also known as killer whales, are immediately recognizable by their distinct black and white coloring. According to National Geographic, they are smart and social animals that use echolocation to communicate and hunt.

Killer whales hunt in pods of up to 40 individuals and while typically found in cold, coastal waters, they also frequent polar regions to the Equator, National Geographic says.

Orcas range in size from 23 to 32 feet and can weigh up to six tons, according to National Geographic. 

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