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Orcas at the Other End of the World

Posted July 14, 2011 in Learn More by Michael Mountain

(Seventh in the series Superpod One – Where It All Began)

The largest populations of orcas in the world aren’t here off the coast of North America; they’re in the Antarctic.

We’ve all gathered for dinner again at Candace’s home for an evening that includes a presentation about orcas in the Antarctic.

Ecologist John Durbin has spent time in the Southern Ocean, studying the various subspecies of orcas, along with the cultures and hunting practices of each of the different groups.

An Antarctic orca spy-hopping dinner for the family. Photo by Robert Pitman.

John explains that killer whales around the western Antarctic Peninsula are very fussy diners. They’re renowned not just for their cooperative strategies and hunting tactics in catching Weddell seals, but also for the fact that they will barely ever eat anything else but this particular species of seal. They occasionally treat themselves to breast of penguin, but they won’t eat any other part of the penguin. And when you bear in mind that they don’t have hands or paws, eating only very precise parts of an animal takes some skill in itself.

John and his colleagues learned all this by making careful observations during the Antarctic summer of 2009. They discovered how the orcas avoid almost all other animals who would be easy catches, including other kinds of seals, in favor of what are for them the yummier Weddell species.

The team has documented how the orcas work together to snag their prey. They start by scouting out their victims in what’s called spy-hopping: surfacing for a quick reconnaissance to spot Weddell seals resting on ice floes.

The orcas set up a wave to tip the seal off the ice floe.

Then, rather than killing the seal directly, members of the pack will pull her underwater repeatedly by her hind flippers, until she’s too exhausted to swim. After the kill, the orcas work together to ensure that the carcass is divvied up properly amongst pod members under the waves.

You can see in this video how the orcas line up together (including with their calves to teach them how it all works) and then create a very precise wave that will lift one side of the ice floe where the seal is resting, and so tip her into the water.

John explains how, at least once a year, the orcas take a break from the icy waters of the Antarctic and head up the coast of South America to the tropics for their equivalent of a spa treatment. They won’t eat while they’re away, and it’s a long trip, more than a thousand miles each way. And the reason they go is to be somewhere nice and warm where they can slough off the top layers of their skin, which have become tough and discolored. Doing this in the frigid waters of the Antarctic would not be a fun experience, so it’s worth the long trip.

There’s so much to be learned about these animals whom John refers to not simply as top predators, but rather “top top predators.” There’s simply nothing on the planet that can touch them.

Except, of course, for humans.

Table of Contents

Superpod One – Where it All Began
In the summer of 2011, a group of scientists, journalists and former orca trainers met up on San Juan Island. Their week together would eventually lead to the formation of the Whale Sanctuary Project.

Off to the Island
On the ferry to San Juan Island everyone crowds onto the top deck for glimpses of dolphins, harbor seals, eagles and other animals.

First Sighting
At the Center for Whale Research, we see dorsal fins popping out of the water … just a second or two as the orcas come up for air.

Grandma J2’s Birthday Party
Grandma J2 has celebrated her 100th birthday. San Juan Island held a party in her honor. But how do they know she’d just turned 100?

T Is for Transient
As well as the “resident” pods, who spend most of their time around the islands, there are “transient” pods whose lifestyle is quite different.

Luna: the Orca Who Wanted to Be Friends
Orcas need each other’s company. So, when Luna got separated from his family, he started making friends with humans on their boats in Nootka Sound.

Out on the Ocean, Surrounded by Orcas
We’re headed out toward the open sound, and our captain is confident we’re going to see some orcas.

Orcas at the Other End of the World
The orcas line up and create a wave that will lift one side of the ice floe and tip the seal into the water.

Orca Dinner Party
The whales need 200 pounds of food every day, and Chinook salmon is the only food that the resident orcas will eat.

Super-Intelligence
Whichever way you look at orca brains, you have to conclude that these guys are super-intelligent.

Custody Battle Over a Captive Orca
An unseemly custody battle is going on between SeaWorld and Marineland over orca Ikaika, whom SeaWorld has “loaned” them.

We’ll Meet Again . . .
The group needs a name. I suggest “Superpod” in honor of what we’ve seen and shared this week. It’s agreed … and it’s just a beginning

Also on the Blog

  • How We Can Give Sanctuary to the Whales Who Cannot Wait
  • A Tale of Two Baby Orcas
  • Orca Brains and Intelligence
  • Canada Bans Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
  • A Deep Dive into Environmental Analysis
  • TEDx Talk “Whales Without Walls” by Charles Vinick
  • Whale Aid Russia

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