by It’s easy to be misunderstood with the word “killer” in your name.
However, this year seemed to be killer whales. From “attacks” and several sinking boats off south-west Europe to the hunt for great white sharks across South Africa and Australia, it seemed that the black and white behemoths were living up to the monitor in 2023.
Their surprising behavior has put one of the sea’s top predators in the spotlight several times since the spring, sparking internet memes and fueling debate over whether the whales were playing or acting revenge on them.
But for scientists, the orca’s recent antics have been more interesting than scary, and some say the highly intelligent marine animals have shown us how much there is still to learn about them.
Perhaps the biggest orca news of the year was the series of terrifying incidents off the Iberian Peninsula, where the killer whales appeared to be ramming boats. In May, three orcas hit the rudder and side of a sailing yacht in the region, causing it to collapse.
The “attack” occurred amid an observed increase in encounters between orcas and boats since 2020. Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Washington, said hundreds of incidents have been reported in that time.
At least four vessels have sunk as a result of the damage in the past two years, she said.
No human injuries or deaths were reported — and in most cases, the whales did not enter the boats. But the incidents became so famous that they inspired memes announcing an “orca uprising” or the start of the “orca wars”. Many social media users sided with “team orca,” saying the whales were finally fighting back against humans.
But Shields said that in addition to the lighthearted fun, the sinkholes were truly frightening.
“So many people have come out here to where I am in Washington state this year, and they’re asking: ‘Is it safe to see whales here? How big is the boat we’re going on? Is there a chance that the whales will attack this boat?” she said. “I’m concerned that people are not going to leave with respect and interest for the whales but instead a fear of the whales that is unnecessary.”
Among experts, the incidents off the Iberian Peninsula were disturbing, and sparked debates about the secret of the whales.
Many scientists think that the orcas did not attack at all.
“They’re not afraid of boats, and there’s nothing for them to eat,” said Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. “They are intelligent, social animals, and they live in an environment that I think is overstimulated for their mental abilities.”
So, he said, whales sometimes come across something they think is interesting and repeat that behavior for a while.
Shields, in a video of some of the incidents, said it did not appear that the orcas were intentionally targeting the helmsmen or hulls of the boats. Rather, she thought the animals were probably acting out of curiosity and playfulness.
Josh McInnes, a behavioral ecologist at the University of British Columbia, agreed and noted that orcas are known to engage in social learning by spreading or picking behavior among their pods. That could explain the string of boat encounters, he said.
McInnes compared the behavior to rough housing.
“Killer whales are very physical,” he said, “and because they’re 25 feet long and weigh up to 80,000 pounds, when they’re physical with something, it can be a little stronger. “
Because of their size, the whales would be more likely to cause much more damage to ships and yachts if they were to carry out coordinated attacks, Shields said.
Furthermore, the idea that the whales are rising and fighting back does not match what scientists know about orcas.
“Killer whales want to have fun,” Pitman said. “Revenge is not a useful thing in nature. It’s not adaptive at all – unless you’re human, I guess.”
But orcas encounters with boats weren’t the only headlines this year. The whales also gained attention for their ruthless hunting techniques.
In October, the carcass of a great white shark with its liver washed ashore near Portland, Australia. Researchers concluded that killer whales were to blame.
Orcas don’t normally prey on sharks, McInnes said, but they are capable of it, and have been observed doing so in the past in waters off Australia, Africa and even the Pacific Northwest.
And why were the sharks missing certain organs? It was only practical, experts said.
“Sharks are generally not very nutritious for killer whales, because they are made of cartilage,” McInnes said. “But the liver is full of fat and lipids, so it’s a very nutritious part of the body to eat.”
Orcas have been known to target the liver when preying on sharks in the past. Since 2017, scientists have followed a hunting spree by two killer whales named Port and Starboard, which killed at least eight great white sharks off South Africa and left their liverless bodies to wash up on beaches.
But orca behaviors that have been documented in different spots around the world are not generally related. McInnes said different populations of killer whales are genetically distinct and don’t usually socialize or interact.
However, studying all observed episodes can provide scientists with broader insights into what orcas are capable of and how they survive.
Shields said she has “mixed feelings” about the attention orcas have attracted in 2023. If anything, she said, she hopes the headlines will inspire people to take up conservation efforts.
“I hope what people take away from these stories is a kind of interest and respect for orcas,” Shields said. “They’re found in every ocean, and they’re all over the planet. There is probably a population of orcas in the saltwater closest to where you live. So there is a lot to learn.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
