After a period of some tranquility, the orcas returned to attack boats off the back of Portugal and Spain. Is it a joke? A fashion launched by orcas teenagers? An aggressive attack because they feel threatened? Or just because they feel like? No one knows.
Recently, a group of sailors that sailed off the Galicia, in Spain, it was left terrorized.
First, they heard a deep and resonant crash hitting the hull. Then another, and yet another. Under them, in the turned and emerald waters, A shadow moved. The sailors then saw an orca 7 meters destroy the boat rudder.
After completing the mission, Orca, accompanied by a smaller partner, continued to hit the vesseleven as a rescue tug pulled her to the nearest port safety.
“We got completely in panic”, Told the boat owner, Valentín Otero, Owner of the boat, who was sailing near the Grove when the blows began. “The truth is that we were very scared.”
Who wouldn’t be?
But the most curious thing is that this has happened before, more than once, recalls the. This was just the last episode of a strange and continuous saga that unfolds in Waters Coastal of Spain and Portugal Since 2019.
The orcas, these magnificent predators of the top of the marine chain, developed a disconcerting behavior: specifically your Lemes, and destroying them.
Attacks are not limited to a single group, and seem to have spread to a specific and in danger population. But why? And what does this mean to us, and to the orcas?
A bizarre habit
The orcas are among the smarter creatures on the planet. They are organized, social and demonstrate clear signs of culture. They are also supreme predators of the oceans, so dominant that they even play with white sharks and eat their livers.
AND unlikely to start something like this randomly.
Between 2020 and 2023, about 500 orcas attacks to vessels, with a frequency that has been increasing. No human was injured during these interactions, but 20% of boats suffered damageand several vessels were disabled.
After a period of less intensity, the attacks increased again. The Civil Guard of Pontevedra, Spanish security agency, recently shared on social networks a video in which it makes known that the orcas had attacked several sailboats.
Orcas attack in Costa da Vela to several sailboats causing damage to the rudder to one. The patrol of the protection day until reaching vessel maritime rescue that starts towing to port.
Patrollera performs protection and about bow, trying to move them away.– Guardia Civil Pontevedra (@guardiacivilpon)
Why do these attacks happen?
The mystery P, but in fact there is not yet a definitive response to explain behavior of the orcas, but there are some clues.
It all started with a small group of orcasa subpopulation of Iberian orcas, a critically threatened population with less than 40 individuals. This reduced number makes unique behavior even more significant.
The behavior started with just a few orcas jovens. Now it seems to be a widespread trend within the group.
Scientists believe that those responsible are often young people, “sea teenagers ”. Like human teenagers, they are full of energy and apparently They are not afraid to experience new things. This suggests that behavior may not be properly aggressive.
Interactions can be playfulS, result of the natural curiosity of marine mammals. Usually, they seem to attack the rudder, something that Makes the boat stillgiving them more time of observation and joke.
But also It can be an aggressive attack. Orcas may have been Wounds by vessels and transmitted this information, identifying boats as dangerous.
According to this theory, orcas know that attack the tail of an animal It can immobilize it, and may be applying the same logic to the boats, destroying the Lemes. This could be a form of revenge or prevention of damage.
Finally, behavior may also be connected to a cultural tendency.The concept of “Cultural Fashions” between Orcas is not new. They are incredibly social, with complex cultures ranging from groups. They have their own dialects, unique vocalizations that act as a language, transmitted between generations.
It has been observed that they participate in complex social rituals, from rubbing the bodies to each other in a playful way to gently touching each other’s languages.
Orcas also have a History of temporary behaviors and strangers, clear purpose.
A famous example is the “Salmon Fashion in the Head”in which a group of northwestern Pacific orcific on the head, without apparent purpose, just because … it was fashion. They did it for a while and then abandoned.
Whatever the reason, after a period of apparent tranquility, the attacks of orcas are back.
