Montezuma, The last Aztec emperor, , is the name chosen by researchers to baptize a male orca that stars in sophisticated hunts by a pod of orcas against whale sharks in (Mexico). “It measures at least nine meters and we estimate that it is around 50 years old because it had already been photo-identified in 1988 on Ángel de la Guarda Island. It is healthy and strong,” says Erick Higuera, a marine biologist who has specialized in observing and photographing marine life for almost 30 years. When Montezuma hunts, advances stealthily through the sea. It likes to attack the pelvic area of its prey to take advantage of the liver, which is large enough to provide an entire meal for all members of the clan.
Higuera is co-author of a new study, which is published this Friday in the and accurately portrays the band of orcas of Montezuma against the biggest fish in the sea. The scientists, led by Francesca Pancaldi, a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine Sciences of La Paz (in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur), compiled images captured between 2018 and 2024 in the south of the gulf, thanks to material provided by tourists and fishermen. of the area, whose desert land area contrasts with the biodiversity that exists underwater: almost 40 types of cetaceans and 100 species of sharks that move between mangroves, rocky reefs and seamounts. “These attacks had already been reported in several areas of the Mexican Pacific. Let’s say that this is the first time it has been described in detail,” Pancaldi clarifies.
Each orca has unique characteristics, such as fingerprint in human beings. The orcas of this pod were identified by analyzing photographs of their dorsal fins, the saddle – the pattern of the white spot located on the back – or the eye patch, which varies between each specimen, in addition to aspects distinctive features such as scars and wounds. Of the four hunting events recorded, scientists realized that Montezuma He participated in all of them. “I realized that they were the same individuals all the time, there was a strategy and a directed objective,” says Higuera.
In the hunt, all members of the pack, led by a matriarch, participate in beating the prey until it turns upside down. As Pancaldi explains, whale sharks have small teeth and are relatively slow. The only way for these animals to defend themselves is to hit the tail of their attackers and dive, since they can reach a depth of 2,000 meters; For this reason, the orcas try to keep them on the surface.
Jessica Rodríguez, head of education and communication at the Davey’s Locker whale watching agency (in Newport Beach, USA), indicates that in general orcas hunt together like wolves on land, coordinating specific tactics. “If you are watching orcas in Mexico, which feed on mammals like whales, dolphins and sea lions, they are going to have different feeding strategies. The oldest female transmits this generational knowledge,” says Rodríguez, who was not part of the new study.
Ricardo Aguilar, director of research in Europe at the NGO Oceana, thinks the same, explaining that almost all groups of orcas are different and have learning processes that are quite fast. “This causes the entire group to end up learning this new behavior and integrating it,” says the expert, who did not participate in the research that has just been published. , the group of mammals marine to which the orcas belong, They have one of the largest brains in relation to body size, allowing them to develop extraordinary abilities. They are sociable animals and have a good memory, factors that possibly guarantee the success of capturing prey in “the world’s aquarium”, the expanse of the Pacific Ocean that occupies the Gulf of California.
Although this gulf is one of the most diverse habitats on the planet, marine animals are vulnerable because, a problem that has increased due to high-speed maritime traffic. The boats, says Francesca Pancaldi, sometimes go “very fast” in certain areas.
Naming the orcas was a strategy that the researchers devised to generate empathy from the community, fishermen and even tourists. “People liked the Aztec names and the collaboration has been very successful,” says Erick Higuera. Fabiola Guerrero de la Rosa, a marine biologist at the University of Baja California Sur, points out that the more information people get, the more careful they will be. “It is not the only place that has been named after orcas. In British Columbia (Canada) the life and work of each one of them is known, from the mother to the grandmother. Giving them names helps to identify them and give them a story behind them,” he says.
There is another male orca, with “several battles” reflected in his skin, which scientists named Cuitlahuaclike the brother of Montezuma and penultimate huey tlatoani (great orator or ruler, in language Nahuatl) of the Aztec dynasty. “After seeing them in the sea for so long, the eye gets used to them. It’s like when a bird constantly visits the patio of your house, you become familiar,” reflects Higuera.
