Researchers have observed a group of orcas killing and eating blue whales off the coast of Western Australia. Especially the tongue of the blue whales seemed to appeal to the killer whales.
Esperance (Australia) – Orcas are predators that kill mercilessly to gain prey. Also known to us as killer whales, the animals are not nicknamed “killer whales” for nothing. Orcas often go hunting together and share the prey among themselves. While they usually feed on schools of fish, squid, birds, small whales or seals, attacks by orcas on blue whales – the largest animals on earth – have now been documented for the first time.
Off the west coast of Australia, researchers have observed orcas swimming into the mouths of three giant blue whales to feed on their nutrient-rich tongues. According to a report published this month in the journal Marine Mammal Science , the scientific community has long debated whether orcas can even hunt the giant blue whales.
Orca groups attack blue whales: three documented kills
In the first kill of a 22-metre-long blue whale, researchers saw that large chunks of skin and blubber had been torn from its body and much of its dorsal fin had been bitten off. Relentlessly, three orcas attacked the blue whale and pushed it underwater while two more shot at its head. After the blue whale was killed, there was apparently a veritable feast for a whole horde of orcas: according to the report, 50 of the animals had fed on the carcass for six hours.
Just a few weeks later, researchers observed the next attack, in which a forty-foot-long blue whale calf fell victim to twenty-five killer whales. The most recent attack recorded as part of the study was for a 45-foot blue whale, which was pursued a distance of 15 miles in a 90-minute hunt. Again, the killer whales’ hunting strategy was to push and ram the whale underwater while others attacked its head and tongue. A group of 50 devoured the remains of the loot.
‘Largest predatory event on this planet’ – Orca attacks on blue whales astounding even for experts
Study co-author Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, described the attacks to National Geographic as “the greatest predatory event on the planet.” this is an “amazing thing” even for the expert. The Cetacean Research Center at Esperance in Western Australia was in charge of the study. The study also proves that, contrary to previous assumptions, it is not only the male orcas that attack other whales. In all three documented cases, females carried out the attacks on the blue whales.
The killer whale as a species is not currently considered endangered. It is largely spared from whaling, although individual populations are threatened by environmental pollution. An orca recently stranded on the coast of Alaska, which was showered with water by people in a touching rescue operation* until it was able to save itself ( BW24* reported ). Over the past year, researchers have repeatedly observed whales washing up on the coast of America*. *BW24 is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Rubriklistenbild: © IMAGO / Bluegreen Pictures
