A humpback whale is saved from certain death by a pod of orcas. Is this deliberate?

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If so, what was their demeanor?

A pod of orcas appears to liberate a humpback whale entangled in a rope off the coast of Western Australia. However, were they truly trying to save it?

To what extent the orcas (Orcinus orca) were manipulating a rope or why they approached the whale is unknown. After capturing a portion of the encounter on drone video, Whale Watch Western Australia's observers were originally concerned that the orcas would attack the severely injured humpback whale. Orcas have attacked humpback whales in the past. Orcas, who hunt in packs, can take down prey many times their weight, although they prefer to feed on young humpback calves and yearlings rather than adults. The flippers of orcas are frequently grabbed by orcas when they attack whales to turn them over and hold them underwater.

According to Whale Watch Western Australia, however, the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, survived with just minor injuries on Jan. 10. In Bremer Bay, Australia, this was the first time an orca and a humpback had interacted in the summer, according to the researchers.

Erich Hoyt, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation research fellow and author of the book "Orca: The Whale Called Killer," says it's not clear why the orcas didn't attack the Humpback (Firefly Books, 2019).

That humpback whales are "out of season" might be because orcas are eating beaked whales, which would be a new hunting and feeding activity and food for them, according to Hoyt, who isn't involved with Whale Watch Western Australia. This might be due to the orcas having just fed or being in the middle of some other activity, or it could be because of the entanglement, which may have distracted them.

When it came to the whale-watchers, the encounter appeared to be an act of selflessness. No one knows whether orcas have altruistic feelings toward other sea species, even though their social lives are complicated and their brains are well-developed in areas linked to empathy and emotion (at least in humans).

In a non-seasonal meeting

During the summer, humpback whales mainly spend their time in the Southern Hemisphere, where they graze on krill. They can be spotted off the coast of Australia from June to August as they go north to their breeding sites in subtropical waters and then return to Antarctica in September or November, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment said.

To see one in January in Bremer Bay was therefore unexpected. The whale's plight became apparent to all aboard the whale-watching boat immediately. It was thin and coated in sea lice, parasites that feed on fish and whales' blood and skin, making it unappetizing to look at. Around the whale's tail was a tangle of rope that had become entangled. The orcas seemed certain to gobble up the whale, swimming at a brisk pace.

According to Hoyt, the whale was approached by two male orcas, Blade and Hookfin, who appeared to be curious. The whale used its pectoral fins and tail fluke to defend itself. After then, according to Whale Watch Western Australia, a big flurry of splashing and white water approached the orca pod's matriarch, Queen. A huge part of the rope attached to the whale's fluke was found floating in the water after the water had been drained. The orcas then proceeded to swim in the other direction of the whale, much to the surprise of the whale watchers.

Orca-assisted rescue?

In their video description, a crew of whale watchers commented, "The astonishing fact that the Orca managed to rid this whale of the majority of the rope before allowing him to swim freely was extremely interesting." Did the Orca purposefully save this Humpback, or was the conclusion that the hunt was no longer worthwhile because of his terrible health?[?]"

According to Hoyt, this is a difficult question to answer. Whales are "absolutely familiar" with fishing gear, Live Science quotes him as saying. Orcas may have also snagged the line on purpose or by mistake. As far as I know, they didn't aim to free the whale, he stated.

As soon as they were done swimming together, the two humpbacks circled each other. According to the whale-watching team, the orcas spent the remainder of the day socializing and "harassing" sunfish.

The finding illustrates how difficult it can be to decipher marine creatures' thoughts and feelings.

According to Hoyt, who wrote to Live Science, several variables influence whales' behavior at sea. "It's hard to interpret behavior!" exclaims the speaker.

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/orcas-free-entangled-humpback-whale

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/paus-laut-air-margasatwa-mamalia-4424846/

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