The strange phenomena of orcas that ram restless ships in Europe

“Gladys, the killer whale Vengeful”, “Gladis’ Gang” or “Attack of the Orcas”. They seem like movie titles, but they are some of the headlines that have invaded the media in recent weeks to tell the story of a group of orcas – huge cetaceans that can weigh up to 6 tons – that are intimidating sailboats in the Strait of Gibraltar for several weeks. But there have been no attacks, nor is the group led by the orca Gladis, nor do they seek revenge on humans.

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Indeed, this is an unusual behavior of these marine mammals, although it is not a novelty. The first records date from 2020, but there is still no definitive explanation as to why the orcas (which are not whales, but dolphins) that inhabit the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula are crashing into small boats, destroying their rudders and scaring off its crew members.

Although they are generally friendly animals – killer whales have never deliberately attacked humans – they are predators looking to feed. And the most precious dish of the orcas in question is bluefin tuna, and that would be one of the motivations for this behavior. But it is not the only theory.

The strange phenomena of orcas ramming restless ships in Europe. Image: Youtube/The World

interactions

Although the encounters between orcas and boats have been in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Galician coast for three years now, concern has increased in recent weeks because interactions – as scientists prefer to call them when referring to direct contact with boats – have been more continuous. In fact, so far this year there have been 53 incidents, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group, made up of marine biologists from Spain and Portugal. In 2020, 52 interactions occurred, but the number increased to 197 in 2021 and 207 in 2022.

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The most dangerous event occurred on May 4, when three orcas rammed the Champagne sailboat and ended up sinking it. Its four occupants, who were not injured, could be rescued in time.

“There were two small orcas and one larger one. The smaller ones shook the rudder at the rear, while the larger one rammed the side of the boat with full force,” the sailboat’s owner, Werner Schaufelberger, told the German magazine “Yacht.”

And this week, a group of orcas surrounded the Mustique yacht, also in the Strait of Gibraltar, disabling the rudder and cracking its hull, causing Spanish rescuers to have to pump out the seawater and tow the vessel.

Revenge or trauma?

Although everyone talks about “orca revenge” against humans for invading their habitat, polluting the oceans, destroying their food and tormenting them with sounds, scientists do not cease to wonder what is motivating this strange behavior. And there is still no certain answer, although there are several hypotheses.

The first indicates that they would be repeating the behavior of one of them and they have taken it as a kind of game. “Orcas learn well, and that behavior is taught from one individual to another. In addition, these are young orcas, which tend to be more playful,” marine biologist Chiara Guidino, a professor at the Southern Scientific University, told El Comercio.

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“We know that the speed of a boat is an incentive for all dolphins; they have fun competing with it and it happens to orcas too. That is why the recommendation of the protocol is to stop the boat, although the sailors are afraid of it”, explained to “El País” the marine biologist Alfredo López, from the Orca Atlántica Working Group.

The second hypothesis points to a traumatic event suffered by one of them with a boat, a behavior that would be being imitated by the others. That would explain why they try to stop the boats, and then leave as soon as they succeed.

Gladys’s gang

Another detail that is fueling the myth of “vengeful orcas” is that they are led by Gladis, a female orca who is teaching younger orcas how to intimidate sailboats.

However, it is not one Gladis orca, but several, and they are males. “From the interactions recorded three years ago, a research group was formed, which identified the individuals who have this behavior, which are nine as far as is known. These nine have been marked and given the first name Gladis, and a second name to be able to identify each one”, remarks Guidino. For example, there is Gladis black, Gladis white and Gladis gray.

These nine killer whales are the ones that have had interactions with the boats, of the 39 specimens that exist in the Atlantic area of ​​the Iberian Peninsula.

The concern for scientists is that the encounter of these cetaceans will continue to be reported as “attacks” and they will begin to be persecuted and even killed, despite the fact that it is a vulnerable species that is in danger of extinction.

Source: Elcomercio