Marine Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

May 24, 2021

Dead baby orca reveals harmful chemical levels in killer whales

A necropsy of a 10-day-old orca that washed up in Norway in 2017 has revealed that even as calves, these iconic whales are full of harmful chemicals, a new study finds. The young killer whale (Orcinus orca) was one of eight deceased orcas that researchers in Norway examined. Of these,...

Jul 28, 2021

In rare wildlife encounter, whale watchers spot two white killer whales off Japan

Whale watchers in Japan were recently treated to a rare wildlife encounter when they saw, not one, but two white orcas swimming side by side. The pair and their pod were spotted by a group on a Gojiraiwa Kanko Whale Watching boat off the coast of Rausu on the northernmost...

Aug 24, 2021

5 gruesome killer whale attacks

Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family, and quite possibly the most terrifying — at least if you're a seal, sea lion or whale. These toothy predators hunt in packs, not unlike sleek marine wolves, and they're capable of bringing down prey larger than themselves. Killer whales,...

Mar 27, 2023

Photo shows 'massive' great white shark scarred after rare battle with 2 serial killer orcas

A great white shark with giant scars along its massive body may have survived an attack by a pair of orca serial killers that target sharks. Photos show orca teeth marks slashed into the side of the 11.4-foot-long (3.5 meters) shark — apparently from an attempt to rip out and...

Mar 30, 2023

Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash

Southern Resident killer whales, a small population of orcas living in the Pacific Ocean off the northwest coast of North America, are so isolated that they've taken to inbreeding, which has contributed to their decline, a new study finds. While scientists have long suspected that inbreeding has been occurring within...

Apr 29, 2023

Extremely rare white killer whale spotted off California coast

Whale watchers off the coast of California recently witnessed an extremely rare sight — a young white orca (Orcinus orca). The calf, which was almost completely white except for dark patches on its dorsal fin and snout, most likely has a pigment-related condition known as leucism, experts say. The unusually...

May 18, 2023

Orcas have sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same. But why?

Orcas have attacked and sunk a third boat off the Iberian coast of Europe, and experts now believe the behavior is being copied by the rest of the population. Three orcas (Orcinus orca), also known as killer whales, struck the yacht on the night of May 4 in the Strait...

Jun 6, 2023

Orcas rip rudder off boat and follow it all the way to port, in 1st known attack of its kind

A group of orcas recently nearly sank another sailboat in the Strait of Gibraltar and followed the vessel all the way to port — marking the first-known case of the killer whales stalking a boat after destroying its rudder. Orcas started behaving unusually and attacking boats in 2020. Since July...

Jun 14, 2023

Orcas attack boat with ruthless efficiency, tearing off rudders in just 15 minutes

Orcas that attacked a sailboat in the Strait of Gibraltar ripped its two rudders off in less than 15 minutes then played with the debris, dramatic footage of the encounter shows. One of the orcas also came back for more as the crew headed inshore, chasing the boat all the...

Jun 20, 2023

Mystery orcas with bulbous heads wash up dead in unexplained mass stranding

A strange and rare group of orcas has stranded on a beach in Chile — the first event of its kind in 67 years and only the second ever recorded. The orcas (Orcinus orca) belong to the Type D sub-group — a distinct group of orcas native to the Southern...

Jun 23, 2023

Orca rams boat off Scottish coast, 2,000 miles away from original attacks

An orca has attacked a yacht off the coast of Scotland, U.K. — the first time this behavior has been recorded beyond Portuguese and Spanish waters. One expert believes it's a sign the boat-ramming behavior may have leapfrogged to a different orca population. The orca (Orcinus orca) in Scotland repeatedly...

Jun 27, 2023

White Gladis the orca may have been pregnant when she started attacking boats

White Gladis, the orca that likely started the attacks on boats in Iberian waters, may have been so hellbent on stopping boats that she neglected her calf, experts say. Experts think White Gladis was hit by a vessel or entangled in a fishing net — an event believed to have...

Jul 4, 2023

'An enormous mass of flesh armed with teeth': How orcas gained their 'killer' reputation

Interest in orcas is currently surging, with attacks on boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and a pair of liver-eating killer whales targeting great white sharks off South Africa. In The Killer Whale Journals: Our Love and Fear of Orcas, biologist and whale researcher Hanne Strager explores our...