Orcas take down Blue Whale!

[dockers_strike 4,131]

I know Orcas or Killer Whales have been known to predate on Humpback and Grey whale calfs but an adult Blue!? Fuck me, those things are the biggest animal to ever have lived on Earth. The link below requires a subscription, the rest is lifted from the Wail (no play on words intended!).

 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12906

 

Orcas – also known as killer whales – are hunting down and killing blue whales, the largest mammal to have ever lived on Earth, according to experts.

Staff at the Cetacean Research Centre in Western Australia spotted orcas hunting and killing an adult blue whale off Bremer Bay while carrying out annual research.  

The adult blue whale measured between 60 and 70 feet long, according to the experts, although the majestic creatures can reach lengths of 110 feet compared with orcas' maximum length of 30 feet. 

In all, 14 orcas were savaging the adult blue whale, with female predators 'leading the attack' in the hunt for flesh in March 2019. 

Another blue whale calf was taken and killed by a group of orcas two weeks later, the researchers said. 

Orcas are one of the most recognisable marine mammals, with their distinctive black and white bodies, but they're also highly intelligent and able to coordinate hunting tactics like a pack of wolves. 

Despite often being referred to as 'killer whales', orcas are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.

The observations by Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC) staff occurred in March and April of 2019, but the discovery has only just been detailed in a new paper published this week in the journal Marine Mammal Science. 

The team reported an additional event of orcas preying on a blue whale calf in March 2021.  

Killer whales are known to harass and attack blue whales, but the confirmed kill of a healthy adult blue whale is a world-first.

'This is the biggest predation event on this planet – the biggest apex predator taking down the biggest prey,' study co-author Robert Pitman at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute told National Geographic.

'We don’t have dinosaurs anymore, so for me as a whale biologist and a zoologist it’s an amazing thing.

'These killer whale groups live for human life spans or longer, and so they hunt together cooperatively for decades and decades. 

'You can learn a lot about how to work together when you practice together as a team.' 

Orcas are the apex predators of the ocean, and are known to prey on a wide variety of species, including the calves of humpback and grey whales. 

When hunting larger prey, orcas take turns ramming their victim at 35 miles per hour, as well as biting its flesh and blocking its blowhole until it eventually drowns.  

However, it was not previously known if killer whales would target and kill the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed

[Bjornebye 33,829]

Free Willy was false advertising. Orcas are cunts. Blue Planet confirmed it. The bullies of the Ocean. 

[dockers_strike 4,131]

21 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Free Willy was false advertising. Orcas are cunts. Blue Planet confirmed it. The bullies of the Ocean. 

They must have tremendous headaches butting Blues at 35 mph!

[Pureblood 7,454]

Sounds like they were having a whale of a time. 

[Carvalho Diablo 16,984]

59 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I know Orcas or Killer Whales have been known to predate on Humpback and Grey whale calfs but an adult Blue!? Fuck me, those things are the biggest animal to ever have lived on Earth. The link below requires a subscription, the rest is lifted from the Wail (no play on words intended!).

 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12906

 

Orcas – also known as killer whales – are hunting down and killing blue whales, the largest mammal to have ever lived on Earth, according to experts.

Staff at the Cetacean Research Centre in Western Australia spotted orcas hunting and killing an adult blue whale off Bremer Bay while carrying out annual research.  

The adult blue whale measured between 60 and 70 feet long, according to the experts, although the majestic creatures can reach lengths of 110 feet compared with orcas' maximum length of 30 feet. 

In all, 14 orcas were savaging the adult blue whale, with female predators 'leading the attack' in the hunt for flesh in March 2019. 

Another blue whale calf was taken and killed by a group of orcas two weeks later, the researchers said. 

Orcas are one of the most recognisable marine mammals, with their distinctive black and white bodies, but they're also highly intelligent and able to coordinate hunting tactics like a pack of wolves. 

Despite often being referred to as 'killer whales', orcas are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.

The observations by Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC) staff occurred in March and April of 2019, but the discovery has only just been detailed in a new paper published this week in the journal Marine Mammal Science. 

The team reported an additional event of orcas preying on a blue whale calf in March 2021.  

Killer whales are known to harass and attack blue whales, but the confirmed kill of a healthy adult blue whale is a world-first.

'This is the biggest predation event on this planet – the biggest apex predator taking down the biggest prey,' study co-author Robert Pitman at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute told National Geographic.

'We don’t have dinosaurs anymore, so for me as a whale biologist and a zoologist it’s an amazing thing.

'These killer whale groups live for human life spans or longer, and so they hunt together cooperatively for decades and decades. 

'You can learn a lot about how to work together when you practice together as a team.' 

Orcas are the apex predators of the ocean, and are known to prey on a wide variety of species, including the calves of humpback and grey whales. 

When hunting larger prey, orcas take turns ramming their victim at 35 miles per hour, as well as biting its flesh and blocking its blowhole until it eventually drowns.  

However, it was not previously known if killer whales would target and kill the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed

Where's the video?

 

I hope Rico negs you.

[TD_LFC 881]

Tilikum would have taken it down on it's own if it wasn't busy killing it's handlers at sea world.

[Ezekiel 25:17 3,905]

Someone move this thread to the breakfasts thread, it's only in there I've seen shit as bad.

 

Fucking TLWpedia.

[Total Longo 3,653]

Honestly hate Orca's - would love to get one out of the water and roundhouse it to oblivion. They're evil. I'm not getting in the water with one though, the odds would need to be significantly stacked in my favour... 

[easytoslip 1,201]

Dont they only eat the whales liver? 

[Babb'sBurstNad 12,133]

Orcas are pussies, ganging up on toothless giants.

 

Leopard seals taking down sharks is more impressive.

[Strontium 11,255]

All dolphins are twats. I've thought this for a long time.

[Pureblood 7,454]

7 minutes ago, Strontium said:

All dolphins are twats. I've thought this for a long time.

I would ecco this thought. 

[Carvalho Diablo 16,984]

10 minutes ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

Orcas are pussies, ganging up on toothless giants.

 

Leopards taking down sharks is more impressive.

I'd pay good money to see that.

[dockers_strike 4,131]

1 hour ago, easytoslip said:

Dont they only eat the whales liver? 

They just eat the tongue of humpback calves. Dont know if they have a taste for liver as well!

[easytoslip 1,201]

27 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

They just eat the tongue of humpback calves. Dont know if they have a taste for liver as well!

I'm not sure but i think I saw that they do, like some animals after a kill they make sure they scoff the offal first as thats where the best nutrients are, tasty, though with no onions is a bit much. 

[easytoslip 1,201]

3 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

They just eat the tongue of humpback calves. Dont know if they have a taste for liver as well!

Ive just seen that, pretty gruesome as is the world of animals, and in reading the article it mentioned the Orcas attacking Great White Sharks and i think that's where they only eat its liver. 

[Section_31 25,202]

Twats.

 

I read somewhere that dolphins are the only animals except humans that kill for fun.

 

Have always thought the intelligence angle was overrated too, can't be that fucking smart if you try to walk up a beach with no legs.

 

Read this all back in a David Attenborough voice.

[Elite 12,097]

They liked being wanked off apparently.

[dockers_strike 4,131]

2 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

Twats.

 

I read somewhere that dolphins are the only animals except humans that kill for fun.

 

Have always thought the intelligence angle was overrated too, can't be that fucking smart if you try to walk up a beach with no legs.

 

Read this all back in a David Attenborough voice.

I gather Orcas are dolphins, just fucking big ones. They arent members of the whale genus.

[Section_31 25,202]

6 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I gather Orcas are dolphins, just fucking big ones. They arent members of the whale genus.

 

See now if I was still single I'd have this as my opening Wetherspoons gambit, word for word.

[Bjornebye 33,829]

1 minute ago, Section_31 said:

 

See now if I was still single I'd have this as my opening Wetherspoons gambit, word for word.

 

 

I prefer this

 

 

 

[Elite 12,097]

18 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I gather Orcas are dolphins, just fucking big ones. They arent members of the whale genus.

I read this in Bricktops voice.

[Strontium 11,255]

28 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

I gather Orcas are dolphins, just fucking big ones. They arent members of the whale genus.

 

Whales aren't a genus, and technically dolphins are actually toothed whales.

 

</nerd>

[Colonel Bumcunt 791]

The BBC should never have aired any of the animal fights they filmed, it could instead have been a PPV phenomenon by now and made the BBC self funding. 

[Total Longo 3,653]

12 hours ago, Elite said:

They liked being wanked off apparently.

"Apparently"