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An attack on a strap-toothed whale. 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 ...
A hunt begins with a chase followed by a violent attack on the exhausted prey. Large whales often show signs of orca attack via tooth rake marks. [84] Pods of female sperm whales sometimes protect themselves by forming a protective circle around their calves with their flukes facing outwards, using them to repel the attackers. [90]
Tourists on a boat in Australia were left stunned as they watched a pod of orcas chase and attack a group of sperm whales. A rare video shows the “titans of the ocean” battling.
The sperm whale or cachalot [a] (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.
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Size comparison between the sperm whale (blue), the pygmy sperm whale (green), and the dwarf sperm whale (orange) The dwarf sperm whale can range in size from 2 to 2.7 m (6.6 to 8.9 ft) in length and 136 to 272 kg (300 to 600 lb) in weight—less than the 4.25 m (14 ft) and 417 kg (920 lb) pygmy sperm whale.
The study found that whale sharks are skilled divers, so orcas attack from below and keep the whale shark at the water's surface. Then, the orcas find a way to flip the whale shark so it's belly up.
The name "Gladis" is a reference to the old scientific name for orcas, Orcinus gladiator, which means "whale-fighter" in Latin. In a 2022 journal article analysing photographic evidence and testimonies from the incidents, 31 distinct orcas were identified, nine of which had direct contact with vessels and were given the designation Gladis.