With their shiny black tops and pure white undersides, the killer whales, or orcas, are the sleekest hunters in the ocean. But being apex predators comes with a great cost. Their bodies absorb the chemical pollutants that build up in the long chain of prey leading to their meals. Now, a recent study in Environmental […]
Tag: Orca
Scientists battling orcas sinking yachts tackle problem with heavy metal music
Sailors in the southwest of Europe are facing an unusual challenge – an increase in killer whale attacks on boats. Some have found a surprising solution to deter these attacks: playing loud heavy metal music through underwater speakers. In recent years, sailors in the region have been dealing with an unprecedented number of killer whale […]
Mystery as Orca Swallows Six Sea Otters Whole
An orca has been found dead with a very strange meal inside its stomach: Six whole sea otters, fully intact, with a seventh stuck in its throat. The orca’s carcass was found off the coast of the Russian Commander Islands in the Bering Sea in 2020. Investigating scientists then discovered the sea otters, weighing a […]
Orcas Sink Forty-Foot Yacht During 45-Minute Attack
A group of orcas have sunk a yacht after an attack in the Strait of Gibraltar. The 40-foot yacht belonging to Polish tour company Morskie Mile had been sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar on October 31 when a pod of orcas surrounded it. The orcas proceeded to ram into the steering fin of the […]
Trainer’s horrific death as SeaWorld killer whale ‘tore his organs and bit his body’
A killer whale trainer died following a brutal attack that saw the mammal rip out his internal organs. Alexis Martínez was 29 when he died on Christmas Eve 2009 while training for his routine with Keto the orca at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands. Keto had started acting unusually during a routine […]
Orcas’ Menopausal Moms Are the Ultimate Protectors of Their Sons
In the animal kingdom, menopause is an exceedingly rare phenomenon, confined to just a handful of species, including humans and five toothed-whale species. Among them, orcas, or killer whales, have intrigued researchers for years due to their ability to live beyond their reproductive years. A recent study by scientists from the University of Exeter, the […]
Killer whale dies in holiday park sparking ‘boycott’ calls from animal activists
Animal rights campaigners have called for Jet2holidays to stop promoting marine parks after a killer whale died at one of the holiday attractions. Moana the orca died last Friday (October 17) at the age of 12. The creature lived a far shorter life than the animals often enjoy in the wild – outside of captivity, […]
Lolita the orca’s ashes are going home for a traditional water ceremony: Here’s what will happen
Lolita, the orca who lived in a tank at the Miami Seaquarium from her capture in 1970 in waters off Washington state to her death 53 years later in August, will be honored in a homecoming Saturday. On Wednesday, the Lummi Nation, representing the original inhabitants of Washington’s northernmost coast where Lolita was captured, announced […]