The 5 reasons why killer whales are 'cold-blooded' geniuses of the ocean

Recently, a professional photographer has quickly "grabbed" the unique moment of the ocean, incredibly spectacular but equally "horror" , which is the spectacle of a killer whale toss the ill-fated dolphin out of the water and make a critical hit right in the air, in the waters of Monterey Bay, California.

A killer whale scooped the ill-fated dolphin out of the water.

When the photo was published, the experts had the opportunity to debate the hunting behavior of killer whales and come to the conclusion, this relatively complex hunting method is not as rare as people think. ."I have seen a similar sighting with a number of different dolphin species in many seas around the world, so I think killer whales often 'develop' complex hunting methods with The success rate is quite high, for example for slower swimmers, such as seals and sea lions, killer whales like to use their tails to knock their prey out of the water, stunning and then ending up Willow victims, " said an oceanographer from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

So, how do killer whales possess superhuman hunting skills? How are they cruel? Together we will explore some of the reasons why killer whales are called 'cold-blooded' geniuses of the ocean.

Characteristics of killer whales

The killer whale, also known as the big black dolphin or the tiger fish (scientific name: Orca) is a whale whose teeth belong to the ocean dolphin family and is the largest subspecies of dolphins. Killer whales live in all the world's oceans, from the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica to warmer tropical seas.

Assassin whales frolic on the water.

A typical killer whale always has black compartments on the back, white spots on the chest and flanks, as well as another white patch on and behind the eyes. They are quite large in size, an adult male is usually 6-8 meters long and weighs more than 6 tons (about 5.9 - 6.5 tons). Females are smaller, about 5 - 7m long, weighing 3 to 4 tons. In that gas, the newborn 'only' weighs about 180kg, and about 2.4m long.

Besides, killer whales also reached the top position in the position of the fastest moving mammal, with a maximum speed of 56 km / h.

The lifespan of this animal is clearly differentiated by gender. Children own an average life expectancy of about 50 years (up to 80-90 years of age maximum), and can reproduce up to about 40 years old. While males usually only live an average of about 29 years, and a maximum of 50-60 years.

Adult killer whale size compared to humans.

Killer whales are present in all oceans and most of the seas on the earth, but they often prefer to hunt in cold high latitudes and top water.

Big size but still agile, skillful, long-lived, 'throwing away all the life', and especially smart - this animal is one of the most perfect killing machines that nature has ever created. .

The first reason: 'Do not stop' any opponent, even the most intelligent and aggressive

Killer whales are the 'nightmare' of dolphins in general (their kind in theory). Although also agile and extremely intelligent, very few cases of poor dolphins escape the jaws with more than 50 sharp teeth sharp teeth of these professional assassins.

Sharks are also the favorite food in the "menu" of killer whales.

Besides dolphins, another sea spirit, which possesses remarkable power and is also exceptionally clever but still becomes a protein meal for killer whales, it is the great white shark - one The most aggressive fish in the ocean.

It can be said that killer whales are the top predators of the ocean, ie they themselves do not have any enemies in the wild. They are smart, strong, agile, and extremely skillful. Perhaps the number one enemy of killer whales on earth is human.

Second reason: Especially like attacking 'children'

Perhaps the nickname for killer whales should be added to the ocean because they are extremely fond of hunting and eating young animals, from seals, sea lions and even sperm whales.

Killer whales are attacking humpback whales.

Special killer whales love to attack young humpback whales. By hunting with the flock (usually a family of 3-5 or even two families together), they separate the baby whale from the mother whale and then continuously 'develop' horrible head blows, attacking humpback whales until it dies.

Perhaps it is for this reason that almost all giant whale fish do not like killer whales. If you are constantly watching, you will not be surprised to see humpback whales or blue whales often actively attacking killer whales, and of course not to eat meat because their staple food is dynamic. molluscs and small fishes, which are to protect the prey of the killer whale itself, just as the 'enemy of the enemy is you'.

According to statistics, up to 87% of humpback whales occur when opponents are hunting and 89% of humpback whales are present in time when killer whales are attacking other animals. In the video above the BBC, two humpback whales try to prevent an orca from killing the gray whale. Although it failed to guarantee the life of the gray whale, the two humpback whales fought the opponent for six hours, making it impossible for them to enjoy their meal.

The third reason: Hold in hand the superior hunting methods

The killer whale is famous for team hunting tactics and knows how to plan perfectly in many situations. Not only that, they also have very complex and very effective killing methods for the opponent. One of them is karate chop. Oceanographer Ingrid Visser, an expert in the hunting behavior of killer whales for over 20 years, described this move as follows:

"Orca will use its very strong tail to 'drive' the shark up close to the water. They don't even touch the shark, but only use thrust from the tail, creating a submerged wave. Sharks go up close to the water surface.

After the sharks were pushed to the surface of the water, the killer whale would immediately swing, curling up from the water and using the tail to slam down on the prey, making it dizzy, even unconscious. ' .

The moment before the fatal blow.Orca's large caudal fin is about to slap the shark as a martial art in Karate.

In addition, killer whales also have a secret secret technique specifically used to hunt great white sharks, but very simple but surprisingly effective, it is headbutted. After discovering the prey, Orca will take the momentum and ram up the opponent with a terrifying power, or stealthily approach the shark from below and suddenly launch an attack on the abdomen. In front of a butting owl coming from the 'meat base' weighing no less than 4 tons, the great white shark will be stunned. Next, killer whales just grab the bad shark, turn it up and enjoy their protein-rich meal.

The frightening thing here is that the killer whales have a clear understanding of the shark's biological weakness and make perfect use of it.

A killer whale slams his head into a shark that stunned the animal and quickly overturns the prey.

Sharks are known to be one of the ocean's perfect predators, they have almost no weaknesses, except for being upside down, they will immediately fall into a state of paralysis called ' tonic immobility ' , similar to when you grab a cat. Perhaps after many encounters with great white sharks, the orca fish find that if they turn over the shark, the shark will not fight back, and they are smart enough to grasp this flaw after many years. Acquiring hunting experience, making yourself a 'nightmare' of any shark species.

It is also the scariest point of orca, they are extremely intelligent, know how to build hunting tactics from learning experience, and apply it to each situation in a reasonable way.

The fourth reason: Recognizing the danger from people.

Humans are the dominant species on the planet. We easily tame the largest animal on the ground: Turn elephants into circus performers or assist effectively for heavy work. On the ocean, and people who hunt sperm whales - the largest fish on the planet for hundreds of years, even make some whales stand on the brink of extinction, and killer whales are no exception.

Orca is very intelligent, but they certainly cannot be as intelligent as humans. So many killer whales have lost their lives in human hands, throughout the hundreds of years of fisheries and maritime history. Within three years, from 1978 to 1981, up to 346 killer whales were killed in the area off the coast of Norway. This number only stops when there is a ban from the local government.

Killer whales rarely have opponents in nature, except humans.

Those lucky survivors seem to never forget that, and as said, killer whales are smart enough to draw from the experiences they experience in life.

"You can see the big scar on the killer whales caused by bullets or spears. We will never be able to get close to these killer whales. Because when listening seeing the sound of engines, they will immediately leave , ' said Similä, a Norwegian marine scientist with more than 20 years of experience in killer whale research.

A group of killer whales is often led by an adult female, and scientists believe that this "wise mother" has transmitted her bloody experiences to other members of the herd in the past. know how to recognize and avoid fishing boats.

Similä witnessed the scene of mature killer whales teaching their young children how to wave their tails, as well as moving reasonably to track their prey, so that they taught their children how to anticipate The threat coming from people is entirely possible.

The fifth reason: There is a strict social organization

Available to talk about the ability of interactions among members of the herd, there is no evidence to suggest that killer whales are extremely loving, unlike many other animals.

In 1996, Similä's team discovered a small killer whale that was severely damaged in the spine and dorsal fin, probably due to hitting a rather large boat. Months later, scientists tracked the life of the killer whale and found that it could not hunt and must depend entirely on other members of the herd.

Assassin whales often live in colonies, hunting together and sharing food.

More specifically, instead of living with a certain group of whales, it swims with at least five different orca groups, and the interesting thing is that they all love and care for this injured fish - one thing extremely rare in the animal world because there is always a dispute between populations and injured individuals often left to die. On one occasion, the team witnessed a moving scene: two killer whales turning waves on the sea surface, and each in the mouth of a large herring for the injured.

The killer whale is a species that has extremely strict social organization, than any other animal on the planet except humans. That's why the killer whale usually runs off in the shoal, because when a member accidentally swims into shallow water and runs aground, other children in the herd will not leave it and find a way. ' rescue'.

The maternal love of this animal is also sacred. The killer whale will take care of all the ink for his children, to the point that orca children will almost certainly die if their mother is no longer available. In 2018, scientists have noted a case that many people cannot hold back when a mother orca named Tahlequah brought her body to her herd, knowing that the small fish had died.'It is mourning the child, and seems not ready to overcome that traumatic event,' said one researcher.

Tahlequah pushes your baby's body over 2000km.

Just like that, 1, 2 days, then a week passed, Tahlequah brought along his son's body to the sea for more than 20 days, passed nearly 2000 kilometers and even continuously pushed his son to the sea for I breathe (whale breaths in my lungs), then descend and repeat. This makes Tahlequah unable to find his own bait and the group decides to share food for it. In the end, scientists had to find a way to separate Tahlequah from a lost child because if so, it would gradually become exhausted and death would be inevitable.

Above are all the reasons why killer whales are 'cold-blooded' geniuses of the great. They are not only strong, intelligent, agile, clever, but also possess an admirable kind of love in the natural world. It is for these reasons that they become a perfect hunting machine - the ruling of the deep ocean and full of dangers.