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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]
Whales have beached throughout human history, with evidence of humans salvaging from stranded sperm whales in southern Spain during the Upper Magdalenian era some 14,000 years before the present. [2] Some strandings can be attributed to natural and environmental factors, such as rough weather, weakness due to old age or infection, difficulty ...
The explosion of animals is an uncommon event arising from natural causes or human activity. Among the best known examples are the post-mortem explosion of whales, either as a result of natural decomposition or deliberate attempts at carcass disposal. [1] Other instances of exploding animals are defensive in nature or the result of human ...
When 41 sperm whales beached nearby in 1979, state parks officials burned and buried them. [9] Later that day, Thornton told the Eugene Register-Guard, "It went just exactly right. [...] Except the blast funneled a hole in the sand under the whale" and that some of the whale chunks were subsequently blown back toward the onlookers and their cars.
Killer whales have reportedly attacked more than 500 boats in European waters recently. Are they exacting revenge for humanity's treatment of orcas?
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]
Since 2020, a group of killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar has sunk three vessels and disabled dozens more. The reason why is unclear. Experts share their theories.
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 ...