Killer whale chases tourist boat off the Mexican coast

Killer whale chases tourist boat off the Mexican coast



Tourists whoop with delight as a massive killer whale chases their boat through the Gulf of California.

On February 20, the visitors were on a fishing expedition off the coast of Sinaloa, Mexico, when the orca came and chased their boat for several minutes.

Beatriz Acevedo Tachna published the footage the next day on Twitter, where it has had over 342,000 views and has been retweeted thousands of times.

‘The cliffs of El Farallon near Sinaloa on February 20…’ she captioned the video. ‘Be patient.’

The enormous killer whale can be seen leaping in and out of the water while the boat appears to be speeding away at full throttle in the film.

Meanwhile, the men on the boat are heard excitedly cheering every time the orca appears above the water surface.

A second video, shot from a nearby vessel, also shows the whale chasing the boat.

Local media said sightings of killer whales have become more common in recent years as they migrate to Mexican waters in the winter in search of a warmer environment to breed before returning to the icy waters of the North Pacific.

Despite their fearsome name, killer whales are known to be social animals.

They have the second-heaviest brains among marine mammals and are regarded as highly intelligent.

Whales typically live in matrilineal ‘pods’ headed by the eldest female and stay close to their mothers throughout their lives.

In the footage, the large killer whale is seen leaping in and out of the water as the boat apparently speeds away at full throttle
In the footage, the large killer whale is seen leaping in and out of the water as the boat apparently speeds away at full throttle

Their social structures are among the most complex of mammals, with only elephants and primates living in comparable groupings.

Killer whales often show signs of play-fighting and synchronised swimming, further evidence of the relationships that exist within pods.

This article by Stewart Carr was first published by The Mail Online on 23 February 2022. Lead Image: A group of tourists had an unusual experience when an orca followed their boat off the coast of Sinaloa, Mexico, on February 20.


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