Humpback Whales are protecting other animals from Killer Whales

[Kagemusha]

Interesting article from National Geographic.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/...&sf123739159=1

There are over 100 recorded incidents where Humpback whales have been trying to protect other whales of their species or completely other species from killer whales, apparently 89% of these incidents involved humpback whales protecting other species. It is interesting question why are these animals behaving like they do. Is it an instinct or are they actually sympathetic towards other species?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Interesting article from National Geographic.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/...&sf123739159=1

There are over 100 recorded incidents where Humpback whales have been trying to protect other whales of their species or completely other species from killer whales, apparently 89% of these incidents involved humpback whales protecting other species. It is interesting question why are these animals behaving like they do. Is it an instinct or are they actually sympathetic towards other species?

Or a grudge against Orcas...

[Vincent Butler]

Interesting article from National Geographic.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/...&sf123739159=1

There are over 100 recorded incidents where Humpback whales have been trying to protect other whales of their species or completely other species from killer whales, apparently 89% of these incidents involved humpback whales protecting other species. It is interesting question why are these animals behaving like they do. Is it an instinct or are they actually sympathetic towards other species?

And they are big enough the orcas can't do much about it. And since they are aggressive towards Orcas, instead of fleeing, then the Orcas certainly won't want to mess with them.

[Pannonian]

And they are big enough the orcas can't do much about it. And since they are aggressive towards Orcas, instead of fleeing, then the Orcas certainly won't want to mess with them.

Orcas are known to attack sperm whales. There's at least one recorded (on camera) instance of humpback whales stopping an orca attack on a sperm whale and her young.

[edyzmedieval]

This thread reminds me of Blue Planet II - it's going to be out quite soon on BBC2, this Sunday in fact, which will show some spectacular footage caught in Seychelles.

[Fragony]

Orcas are known to attack sperm whales. There's at least one recorded (on camera) instance of humpback whales stopping an orca attack on a sperm whale and her young.

They (orca's) even attack geat-white, big ones. With the spermwhale they were probably trying to isolate the calves, a grown spermwhale is pretty forminable

@Edyz, owwwww gonna be watching that, Blue Planet was fantastic, such great imagery. Especially the REALLY deepsea creatures are fascinating (and kinda scary bio-machines, stay there)

[Vincent Butler]

A bull sperm whale is pretty much immune from killer whale attack, as they are very large and very aggressive towards orcas, though cows and calves are more susceptible. Orcas have been known to take down fin whales (the second largest whale), though they have not yet been known to take down a blue whale, at least not an adult, I don't know about juveniles. The thing is, the humpback is aggressive towards the orcas, whereas the fin whale does not take that approach.

Orcas are quite a bit larger than great white sharks, so no surprise about orcas dominating them.

[Kagemusha]

[Pannonian]

A bull sperm whale is pretty much immune from killer whale attack, as they are very large and very aggressive towards orcas, though cows and calves are more susceptible. Orcas have been known to take down fin whales (the second largest whale), though they have not yet been known to take down a blue whale, at least not an adult, I don't know about juveniles. The thing is, the humpback is aggressive towards the orcas, whereas the fin whale does not take that approach.

Orcas are quite a bit larger than great white sharks, so no surprise about orcas dominating them.

As in the documented case of an orca attack on a great white off California, triggering the mass exodus of all the great whites in the region immediately diving deep and heading all the way to Hawaii before coming up again (one of the fleeing great whites had been electronically tagged previously, allowing researchers to keep track of where it was). That the great whites would en masse abandon their favourite feeding ground and only stop a couple of thousand miles away shows how this orca behaviour is recognised by the shark population. It also inspired research into how a single attack would provoke such a strong reaction from a widespread shark population.