science

19710 readers

526 users here now

A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.

rule #1: be kind

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Killer Whale Conundrum: Why Are Orcas Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them? (scitechdaily.com)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For many years, scientists have been puzzled by the behavior of Pacific Northwest fish-eating killer whales, who have been seen harassing and sometimes killing porpoises without eating them.

A study recently published in Marine Mammal Science, co-led by Deborah Giles of Wild Orca and Sarah Teman of the SeaDoc Society, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, looked at more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident killer whales and porpoises in the Salish Sea to better understand why they exhibit this behavior.

https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13073

all 6 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 years ago

Seems like killing without porpoise is not just a human thing

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago

"…the reason(s) for this behavior is unknown. Hypotheses include the social and developmental benefits of play, hunting practice, or displaced epimeletic behavior."

[–] randomaside 5 points 2 years ago

Because...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

It's right there in the name.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

maybe to wipe the fucking smirk off their faces? or maybe they are considered competition?