Attacked by an Orca near A Coruna

[FlyingGoose]

There was a study / experiment in a large private estate / park in india a few years back where the owner removed all the tigers , all the other bread of animals flourished ?

Which would have a depremetal effect and upset the ecological balance as eventually you would have another apex preadtor taking over, that would destroy the lower animal life which then cascades upwards to effect those higher in the food web, creating a mono culture and you could end up with a forest or jungle just fill of snakes for example, the apex predator is extremely important to an eco system, one of the reasons why the orca is the widest spread mammal in the world they play an important role in the balance

 

[cherod]

Which would have a depremetal effect and upset the ecological balance as eventually you would have another apex preadtor taking over, that would destroy the lower animal life which then cascades upwards to effect those higher in the food web, creating a mono culture and you could end up with a forest or jungle just fill of snakes for example, the apex predator is extremely important to an eco system, one of the reasons why the orca is the widest spread mammal in the world they play an important role in the balance

That did not seem to be the outcome on that one

 

[BruceK]

Thought this news worthy

Scientists baffled by orcas ramming sailing boats near Spain and Portugal

 

[rogerthebodger]

We watched a documentary lat night called whale wisdom which investigated the intelligence of various whale speciales.

Including orca, hump back and sperm whales.

This included problem solving abilities

whale wisdom documentary - Google Search

Whale Wisdom

Whale Wisdom Watch online full movie - Documentary Mania

 

[FlyingGoose]

Thought this news worthy

Scientists baffled by orcas ramming sailing boats near Spain and Portugal

Great article although very journalistic , with the usual caveats, it does seem thought that if it is one pod they have being acting very curiously to boats, .does any one know if boats are travelling out of normal time frames due to covid,

 

[RAI]

Great article although very journalistic , with the usual caveats, it does seem thought that if it is one pod they have being acting very curiously to boats, .does any one know if boats are travelling out of normal time frames due to covid,

There are always yachts around that peninsula. Just watch marine traffic for those with AIS. There are far more fishing boats, which do not seem to get the attention of orcas. Or maybe they don't complain.

 

[FlyingGoose]

There are always yachts around that peninsula. Just watch marine traffic for those with AIS. There are far more fishing boats, which do not seem to get the attention of orcas. Or maybe they don't complain.

Agreed some of the language used by the yatchs are colourful I appreciate any large sea creature near a boat can be scary, but they are very curious if there are young about the pod might be teaching then how to approach surface targets, and are using the yatch rudder and bottom as target practice, they are no intentionally trying to damage the boat or eat the crew
But a rudder and a curious frisky whale do not go

I appreciate this is scary for yatch crews and fear drives panic , but I do not believe it is malicious in any way . This pod just likes to play with yatchs

 

[capnsensible]

There are always yachts around that peninsula. Just watch marine traffic for those with AIS. There are far more fishing boats, which do not seem to get the attention of orcas. Or maybe they don't complain.

Whale meat again. ?

 

[rogerthebodger]

An interesting comment about far more fishing boats , and less/no "attacks" on fishing boats.

We know in South Africa that feeding monkeys and baboons does lead to aggressive actions when they come used to having food given to then and when food i not attacks take place.

If the orca's have become used to getting food from the local fishing boats and mistake a yacht to a fishing boat where the crew do not have any fish or fish entrails to thrown overboard the orcas feed on could be a cause of these actions.

 

[RAI]

I thought these creatures were first time learners. How often do they have to rough up yachts to learn that there's no fish in them?

 

[cherod]

i have encountered whales a few times while at sea but never really been scared tho being on a a 40 ft ferro ketch may have had something to do with that on a few occasions , but from what i see on the videos it looked like a fairly scarry situation, whither the whales had eveil intent or not, but the laughing crew on one vid makes me think that they were not particularly scared , even when the whale was " eating " the rudder !!

 

[sarabande]

Great article although very journalistic , with the usual caveats, it does seem thought that if it is one pod they have being acting very curiously to boats, .does any one know if boats are travelling out of normal time frames due to covid,

Ooops, sorry Mr Sailorperson, sorry for eating your rudder, we don't normally get boats travelling through our playground at 1631 on Thursday afternoons. BTW, keep up the social distancing, eh ?


"one of the reasons why the orca is the widest spread mammal in the world "

Apart from 7 billion human beings, a billion cows, a billion pigs, and countless rats and bats all around the globe.

And orca numbers are estimated at 50000. ( NOAA Fisheries)

 

[FlyingGoose]

In truth - and you MUST admit as much after the disclosure of bite marks - your knowlege of Orca is perhaps not as all encompassing as you would have us believe.

I have been up close and somewhat aprehensive to a pod of Orca in Wellington Harbour. Fortunately they were busy feeding on Kawahai, circling around and driving them into a bunch.

IIRC there is a well documented account of a wooden yacht attacked and sunk by a single Orca in the North Pacific. The crew, a family, suffered severe hardship but survived.

IMHO your sweeping pronouncement " She did not attack you " was at the very least premature, made before you had the full facts and wearing your marine biologist's hat.

Engage brain before operating keyboard.............................................

I assume in your career you though of yourself and good and knowledgable and would give your opions freely with the caveat that it was your lifestyle work or vastly experienced. Now I do not know what is is you did but no doubt you are more knowledgable and experienced than me .
So in my 35 years as a hobby then university and many bolt on courses of marine cetaceans with an interest in orcinus orca you would not openly slate me in my knowledge, in fact a better person would listen and if in doubt research to find out.
If you took the time to do this you would be pleasant surprised, age does not bring knowledge hard work and study do that ,
I do not see any photos of bite Mark's yet we all think they are there , you do know or perhaps you do not, that's an orca can slice through whale blubber and open up a seal , its jaws and teeth are designed for killing and ripping , if the orca was as you suggest attacking the boat I would have expected the rudder to be bitten in half , a few alledged teeth Mark's suggests it was curious, as I have already stated they are extremely curious animals and use there mouth as part of their sensory data.
I will admit it seems odd but I am willing to take halcyon yatchs assessment ofthe situation as he comes across as a level headed skipper . The others well all I can say is when we go fishing the fish grows when we get back to shore
I can only go on the scientific data and my experiences and my wife a DR of Ecology on this and yet we have never seen a human tragedy from an orca incident on a boat
Therefore it would seem odd for one of the most intelligent mammals in the sea should attack an inanimate object for the reason of anger, stress, or other wise
Curiosity. Playfulness. Training its young are better explanations
I have 2 large doggs different breeds and they play fight as if they were attacking in real life, even to the point of mistaken blood appearing. They are not out to be their natural self but honing their instinct,
It is the whales curiosity that is its instinct, this might even be a young orca exploring that what is around it . I cannot tell from one picture
I hope this help you understand were I am coming from and maybe not slight my knowledge on actually something I know about ,
I no nothing of anchor tests or the slow rate charge of lithium batteries so I listen to others with more advice

 

[rotrax]

I have no idea why the yacht was attacked, but attacked it was.

Why the waffle?

It has happened, but you refuse to accept it as a fact.

Thats all.

 

[FlyingGoose]

Ooops, sorry Mr Sailorperson, sorry for eating your rudder, we don't normally get boats travelling through our playground at 1631 on Thursday afternoons. BTW, keep up the social distancing, eh ?


"one of the reasons why the orca is the widest spread mammal in the world "

Apart from 7 billion human beings, a billion cows, a billion pigs, and countless rats and bats all around the globe.

And orca numbers are estimated at 50000. ( NOAA Fisheries)

Yes you are right pigs boats rats etc are found around the world but they are different species , a pig is not just a pig you do know of different breeds etc. Like a fruit bat is not the same as bats in the UK
The orcinus orca is one species I e its DNA is of one family tree, their are sub divisions of this of this , offshore , transient. Fish only eaters. Mammal and fish
So the Norwegian orca although the same species as those found in Patagonia who only eat the seals are thought to have diverged from each other in the tree of life,
They have not diverged enough to be called separate species hence why they apart from humans the most widespread mammal in the world. They can be found in every ocean and major sea. Hope that explains it

 

[SaltIre]

Whale meat again. ?

...don't know where, don't know when.

 

[SaltIre]

I appreciate this is scary for yatch crews and fear drives panic , but I do not believe it is malicious in any way . This pod just likes to play with yatchs

Was the Orca just trolling our forum?

 

[webcraft]

This is not normal Orca behaviour, and all yacht attacks (I've read of 5) are thought to have been carried out by the same pod as it moved North.

I certainly hope this is the case, as we are now South of Finisterre and hopefully safe. The Spanish coastguard has posted a warning to all yachts to stay away from orcas.

There seems to me no doubt that these are deliberate attacks. One yacht was spun round 15 times and lost both steerage and engine.

- W

 

[rotrax]

I understand Orca become aggressive upon sighting a Saltire.........................

 

[RAI]

I understand Orca become aggressive upon sighting a Saltire.........................

There's a fair chance of a single malt on board. Worth a shake down.