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Orcas (or killer whales) are large, powerful aquatic apex predators. There have been incidents where orcas were perceived to attack humans in the wild, but such attacks are less common than those by captive orcas. [1] In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and four fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s. [2]
The whales make groans, pops and belches typically at frequencies around 500 Hz. The purpose of the sounds is not known but may be a form of communication between whales within the same group. Northern right whales responded to sounds similar to police sirens—sounds of much higher frequency than their own. On hearing the sounds, they moved ...
Orcas have helped humans hunting other whales. [221] One well-known example was the orcas of Eden, Australia , including the male known as Old Tom . Whalers more often considered them a nuisance, however, as orcas would gather to scavenge meat from the whalers' catch. [ 221 ]
Researchers have warned that human impact on the ocean is putting increasing pressure on dolphins and whales, and their ecosystems. The UK whale and dolphin conservation charity Orca recorded ...
False killer whales are large marine predators. They are the fourth-largest extant species of oceanic dolphin, exceeded in size only by the orca, and the two species of pilot whales. Females reach a maximum size of 5 m (16 ft) in length and 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) in weight, and males 6 m (20 ft) long and 2,300 kg (5,100 lb).
Toothed whales can also be threatened by humans more indirectly. They are unintentionally caught in fishing nets by commercial fisheries as bycatch and accidentally swallow fishhooks. Gillnetting and Seine netting are significant causes of mortality in cetaceans and other marine mammals. [99] Porpoises are commonly entangled in fishing nets.
Killer whales have reportedly attacked more than 500 boats in European waters recently. Are they exacting revenge for humanity's treatment of orcas? Why are killer whales going 'Moby-Dick' on ...
However, the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), the North Atlantic (Eubalaena glacialis), and North Pacific (E. japonica) right whales, which favor fight responses, are generally barnacle-free. [21] It may be that a reduction in population caused by historic whaling restricted their distribution and contact with other whales, thus impeding the ...