Random Orcas Are Biggest Jerks In Entire Ocean (15 items)

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  (#1) Even Great White Sharks Can Be Victims

  In May of 2017, four carcasses of great white sharks washed up on the beaches of South Africa. It wasn't long before orcas became the primary suspects in these bizarre incidents. Each of the sharks sustained brutal damage to their livers and testicles – the former of these, which was removed from all four sharks, is known to possess essential nutrients for orcas, providing a possible reason for the meticulous attack.
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  (#2) They Often Target Whale Calves

  While most large whales tend to live off of small fish like krill, orcas sometimes hunt the offspring of their close relatives, bowhead whales. They usually do so by assailing a calf and its mother as a group, aiming to separate the mother and child. They will then attack the calf by either ramming it, or holding it underwater.

  While the bowhead mother is sometimes successful in saving her baby, this is sadly not always the case. 
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  (#3) One Whale Was Responsible For Three Human Casualties

  In 2013, the documentary Blackfish premiered and permanently altered the public's perception of captive orcas. For decades, the orcas of SeaWorld were the primary draw for the zoo/amusement park hybrid. Unfortunately, the prison-like nature of the orcas' captivity led to a total breakdown for one of their star orcas, Tilikum.

  Tilikum was the subject of the documentary and made national news after killing one of his trainers. Tilikum was responsible for three fatalities in his lifetime. The first was an employee at a now-defunct marine park known as Sealand, a place where Tilikum was kept in appalling conditions. He was eventually sold to SeaWorld to play the role of Shamu, and it was there that he claimed his next two victims. One was Dawn Brancheau, a star orca trainer at the park. Captivity-induced stress is believed to be the cause of Tilikum's aggressive behavior, and SeaWorld has since put an end to their orca breeding program. 
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  (#4) Dolphins Can Also Be Targets

  While dolphins are agile creatures, they're no match for the hunting instincts of a pack of hungry orcas. Orcas will stun dolphins by slamming into them at full speed, giving them an opportunity to grab hold of the dolphin before it can regain its bearings and swim away.
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  (#5) They Often Jettison Their Prey Out Of The Water

  Orcas have been documented flinging their prey into the air with their powerful tails. Some estimates claim that an orca can fling a seal some 80 feet into the air.
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  (#6) They Hunt In Packs

  Orcas are incredibly skilled hunters who use different tactics for different prey. They often use their teeth, tails, and brute strength to attack their prey, and each individual in a pod of orcas helps in the hunt with their own special methods. The matriarch, usually the largest, will deliver the most powerful blows to the victim, while the smaller whales block off possible escape routes. 
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  (#7) Some Like To Stalk Fishing Boats And Steal Their Catches

  In the frigid waters off the coasts of Alaska, orcas and humans often come into conflict. This phenomenon is relatively new and involves orcas stalking fishing boats for prey. The whales have learned to take advantage of the massive net-fulls of cod and halibut that fishermen work to capture, often stealing these trappings for themselves.
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  (#8) They're Second Only To Humans In Population Size

  Orcas' large numbers make them a substantial threat to sea life. In fact, they are the most widely distributed mammals besides humans. They can survive in either oceans or seas, and they adapt to virtually any climate, living in the warm waters near the equator or the frigid waters at the poles. Orcas also travel according to their food supply. 

  While they are numerous, the orca population is actually decreasing steadily. Southern resident whales, a subspecies of orcas, are considered endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
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  (#9) They Will Annihilate Seals, Even If They're Not In The Water

  Seals in the antarctic often seek refuge on floating chunks of ice, but orcas sometimes use this habit to their advantage. Orcas will swim towards the the ice floe at full speed, building up a wave that splashes over the ice and knocks the unsuspecting seal into the water.

  Orcas have also shown that they can hunt seals who are relaxing on sandy beaches. While this is a tricky maneuver, and they may get beached, orcas seem to have mastered this technique.
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  (#10) They Enjoy The Privileges Of Being Apex Predators

  Orcas have been known to pick fights with blue whales for no reason besides sheer thrill. While they don't intend to eat the whale, they apparently find amusement in antagonizing other, larger marine mammals.
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  (#11) They Can Travel Up To 35 Miles Per Hour

  Because of orcas' size and strength, their species is one of the fastest group of marine mammals on Earth. They can travel up to 35 miles per hour, and they use this speed to tire out larger animals like blue whales. Orcas also rush pods of dolphins, surrounding them on all sides and flipping them out of the water to demobilize them.

  A whale biologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada explains that approaching an animal with an open mouth would create tremendous drag on an orca's lower jaw, especially with the speeds at which orcas travel. That's why the rush-and-ram method is a more efficient and effective option.
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  (#12) One Native American Legend Portrays Orcas As Vengeful Predators

  While some native cultures paint orcas as healing spirits, at least one legend portrays the whales as far more vengeful. The legend follows Natcitlaneh, a man with the power to bring his wood carvings to life. After his carving of an orca is animated, the two search for adventure on the high seas. There, they find Natcitlaneh's brother-in-law, a man who had punished Natcitlaneh in the past. The whale destroys his brother-in-law's canoe, leaving him in a nameless grave beneath the waves. Natcitlaneh banned the orca from ever hurting another person again, and the Tlingit tribe largely believe this is the reason that orcas rarely attack people in the ocean.
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  (#13) They're Camouflaged To Sneak Up On Prey More Easily

  The coloring of orcas effectively camouflages them from prey; their light undersides and dark tops makes them less likely to be spotted in water. The Center for Whale Research compares their coloring to military airplanes. The black and white colors are also broken up in such a way that they look smaller and considerably less intimidating to prey.
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  (#14) They Can Outsmart Humans

  Orcas have the second largest brains among all ocean mammals. Scientists found that orcas are able to teach their young hunting techniques and behaviors that can last for multiple generations. Sam Ridgway, a research veterinarian at San Diego's National Marine Mammal Foundation, found that while orcas have less gray matter than humans—which accounts for memory and thought processes—they have large myelinated axons, which carry nerve impulses. Ridgway says, "The bigger the axon, the faster the nerve impulses travel."

  Researchers now have evidence that whales may be able to learn how to imitate dolphin vocalizations. Scientists at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute collected sounds from whales that were housed with bottlenose dolphins and compared them to sounds from those that had no facilitated dolphin contact. The orcas that interacted with dolphins produced more clicks and whistles than those that didn't—those without contact generally produced lower-pulsed sounds.

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