Humpback whales are crashing orca hunts – seemingly driven by an instinct to rescue other animals.

It’s one of the ocean’s most unexpected mysteries: a seal is being hunted by a pod of killer whales… when out of nowhere, two humpback whales rush in, trumpeting, massive, and seemingly determined to stop the kill.

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This isn’t a fluke. In a study of 115 documented cases, scientists observed humpbacks confronting orcas during hunts – and in nearly 90% of those cases, the humpbacks disrupted the attack. Even more surprising? Many of the animals they protected weren’t even their own kind.

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@paninid

Do orcas ever eat baby whales?

Humpback whales are crashing orca hunts – seemingly driven by an instinct to rescue other animals.

It’s one of the ocean’s most unexpected mysteries: a seal is being hunted by a pod of killer whales… when out of nowhere, two humpback whales rush in, trumpeting, massive, and seemingly determined to stop the kill.

(1/6)

@paninid

Do orcas ever eat baby whales?

@paninid

The orca looks so shocked in the photo "can't do ANYTHING in this ocean"

@paninid

Do orcas ever eat baby whales?

@futurebird @paninid Here in the Monterey Bay (California) we have a lot of Orcas and a lot of true whales such as Greys (which migrate past the bay twice a year) humpbacks (which seem ever-present), blues on occasion. And lots and lots of seals and sea lions and otters, etc. (The Monterey Bay is an amazing place for sea life. And from the shore one can often see whales spouting or their heads and flukes.)

The grays, which are relatively small compared to humbacks, swim on courses intended to avoid the Orcas.

Orcas seem to be rather mean critters - I hear that they attack (and presumably eat) the great white sharks around here.

@karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

orcas ram great whites until the great whites are upside down

this induces a tonic immobility, the sharks freeze in a trance. "drowning" the shark as water doesn't pass over their gills anymore

then they eat the liver, exposed from the violent ramming

after an orca shows up, great whites will completely scatter

one shark was apparently so scared it fled from california to hawaii

Great white shark - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

@benroyce @futurebird @paninid Thanks for that info.

In my mind it raised the image of chained Prometheus, but rather than an eagle devouring his liver every day it was an orca.

@karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

yes!

and it's striking to me that we have this image of the great white shark as amongst the fiercest of predators, and massive, a ruler of the seas

and yet we have this other creature that treats them like squeaky toys

@benroyce @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

At least the great whites don’t start suffer the indignity of being treated like orca apparently treat salmon.. as a hat

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

i'm also reminded of that video of orcas throwing around a baby seal, still alive at one point but probably not for long, like throwing a baseball to one another, almost like a competition: who can throw this thing higher and farther

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

i'm also reminded of that video of orcas throwing around a baby seal, still alive at one point but probably not for long, like throwing a baseball to one another, almost like a competition: who can throw this thing higher and farther

@benroyce @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

In one of those documentaries I saw they actually put the baby sea lion (dazed, who knows how injured, but alive) back on the beach when they were done. Guess they weren't hungry.

But yeah they'll hunt full size whales if they feel like it. The fact they don't regard humans as a snack food is really weird and interesting.

@violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

#orcas have killed humans:

only in captivity

which makes sense and i don't blame them

but yes, very odd we have no documentation of an #orca killing a human in the wild

we have video of them stalking kayaks, but it seems mere curiosity

i think this video tells the whole story:

seal deathly afraid of orcas, human deathly afraid of orcas, orcas stalking both, silently underneath in one frightening moment:

@violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

#orcas have killed humans:

only in captivity

which makes sense and i don't blame them

but yes, very odd we have no documentation of an #orca killing a human in the wild

we have video of them stalking kayaks, but it seems mere curiosity

i think this video tells the whole story:

seal deathly afraid of orcas, human deathly afraid of orcas, orcas stalking both, silently underneath in one frightening moment:

@violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid

#orcas have killed humans:

only in captivity

which makes sense and i don't blame them

but yes, very odd we have no documentation of an #orca killing a human in the wild

we have video of them stalking kayaks, but it seems mere curiosity

i think this video tells the whole story:

seal deathly afraid of orcas, human deathly afraid of orcas, orcas stalking both, silently underneath in one frightening moment:

@benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid

Kind feel like when the seals on the boat they look up at her like "oh were you going to eat that one? or nah?"

Poor seal.