Nature & Environment

Orcas are attacking boats and the phenomenon seems to be spreading

By T.K. Randall
June 27, 2023

Image: Killer Whales Jumping
Credit: Robert Pittman / (PD) NOAA The phenomenon, which seems to be limited to a rare and endangered population of Iberian orcas, had - until very recently - been relegated to the waters of Spain and Portugal, with multiple reported instances of unprovoked attacks on boats.

The animals seem to go for the rudder and in some cases even follow the crippled boats back to port.

Now, according to reports, there has even been a case of this happening off the coast of Scotland some 2,000 miles away - suggesting that the behavior is spreading and the animals are literally teaching one another to attack boats.Experts believe that this behavior may have started with an adult female named White Gladis who survived some sort of traumatic event such as being injured by a collision with a boat.

Younger orcas then started to copy her and the trend spread among the population.

"We think that the other orcas are juveniles and are copying [White Gladis'] behavior because she is an adult and they think that as an adult 'we need to do this to survive,'" marine biologist Monica Gonzalez told Yachting Monthly.

Whether or not the animals will give up on this destructive new habit anytime soon remains to be seen.


Source: Live Science

Tags: Orca