Ten killer whales about to attack a sperm whale: it pulls out a chilling defensive weapon
By the end of March 2024, dozens of orcas had started chasing "something"... The phenomenon was observed in Bremer Canyon, off the coast of Western Australia, an area where orcas can be seen in their natural habitat.
Marine biologists witnessed the scene during a routine expedition. An orca "started to pick up speed and chase something". Dozens of other orcas then appeared from the west, all heading in the same direction. They were about to attack a group of sperm whales.
The orcas began to swim in circles around the sperm whales, which tried in vain to wag their tails at them. The sperm whales looked distressed and exhausted. "They were huddled together in a tight group, sticking their heads out of the water and letting out violent blows as they tried to catch their breath," explains Naturaliste Charters (a whale-watching site in Australia), quoted by Science et vie.
And just when the biologists thought they saw blood in the water, a cloud of excrement suddenly appeared. This is a formidable defensive weapon used by sperm whales to scare off opponents. Sperm whales often defecate when they feel threatened. They then produce a ‘diarrhoea bomb’ by wagging their tail.
Game over. The orcas didn't know who or what they were up against!
(MH with AsD - Source: Science et vie - Illustration: Unsplash)
