SFR: "Shark or Orca: Which Should You Fear More?"

[SilverFly]

There was recently 2 boats off Spain that were attacked by killer whales, 1 boat damaged enough that the 2 people needed to be rescued.

Interesting. After watching the NG series, and seeing just how spooky smart orcas are, I'd wonder what the reason's were for the attack. Maybe the boats did something to cross a line with that particular pod? The gist of the NG program was that orcas and other whales actually have "cultures" in that they pass down learned hunting and other behaviors from generation to generation. I'd be willing to bet if they wanted to eat those people they'd have figured out how to get them in the water. Another group of orcas in Antarctica, have developed a cooperative method of tipping seals off ice floes by producing large bow waves. Again, spooky smart.

 

[Bagman]

A few years back 2014-2015 or so @Nick Clayton and I were standing over knee deep at PnoP when a Orcs cow and a baby swam by. All I could see was a big ass fin within casting distance. All I could thank of was get out of the water. Nick did get a pic with his iPhone but I can’t find it maybe he will post the pic. When something with a young that big is that close all I could see was that clip of Orcas swimming up the beach to grab a seal then return to the sea and play with it before eating it.

 

[DerekWhipple]

Did Native Americans hunt orcas? I think orcas are smart enough that they know there will be pretty swift retaliation if they start eating people, or if they do pass down knowledge from generation to generation, some of them made that mistake a long long time ago and they won't again.

Most of those "attack" stories sound like the orca's were just messing around.

 

[SteelHeadDave]

A few years back 2014-2015 or so @Nick Clayton and I were standing over knee deep at PnoP when a Orcs cow and a baby swam by. All I could see was a big ass fin within casting distance. All I could thank of was get out of the water. Nick did get a pic with his iPhone but I can’t find it maybe he will post the pic. When something with a young that big is that close all I could see was that clip of Orcas swimming up the beach to grab a seal then return to the sea and play with it before eating it.

I witnessed the same thing maybe 3-4 years ago but it was a small pod that swam super close to the point (within casting distance). I remember another fly guy had a fish on a bit north of the point itself and one of the orcas peeled off and charged his fish. I think he managed to get it onto the beach just in time. The coolest part for me was seeing the water drop and swirl like a giant toilet flushing right before the first orca emerged from the water right in front of us. No signs of them prior to that, they just appeared out of nowhere. I wonder if there were some kings in the mix within casting range that morning.

 

[Bagman]

I was talking about it the next day an a guy said the same thing had happen to a guy next to him, but the orca had kept the fish and swam away and he had to break it off. I wa like okay the first lyre doesn’t stand a chance, then the guy next to me who I knew and trust backed up his story.

 

[Gyrfalcon22]

Authenticated Great White from inside Grays Harbor..I think it was early 70's? Stop and see at the Region 6 office. Photos and more of the story there.

Was caught in a gillnet if I have the story right. We have 'em. Talk to the surfers in the area and they have some interesting stories. Willapa Bay has had a couple of GW's netted as well going back aways.

Dead and badly injured seals wash up with some big bites on them as well on occasion. Have seen very small Salmon sharks washed up on the coast. Very cool micro mackerel sharks-look just like great whites to me.

 

[t_law]

Great Whites have been washing up on the beaches of South Africa with their livers missing along with other internal organs. Here's why.

Watch This Stunning Footage of Orca Whales Killing a Great White Shark

In this exclusive Daily Beast clip from an upcoming Shark Week special, never-been-seen footage reveals a pack of orcas killing a nine-foot-long great white shark.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Cabezon]

A few years back 2014-2015 or so @Nick Clayton and I were standing over knee deep at PnoP when a Orcs cow and a baby swam by. All I could see was a big ass fin within casting distance. All I could thank of was get out of the water. Nick did get a pic with his iPhone but I can’t find it maybe he will post the pic. When something with a young that big is that close all I could see was that clip of Orcas swimming up the beach to grab a seal then return to the sea and play with it before eating it.

One complicating factor in determining "risk" is which species / subspecies of orca / killer whale one is encountering. A Southern Resident Killer whale will steal your salmon, while the Bigg's killer whales might fancy the harbor seals that are competing with you for salmon at PNP. The large pods (L pod has 35 members) of the Southern Resident Killer Whales are exclusively salmon predators, especially chinook (and chum in the fall). But the smaller pods (typically 4 maximum) of Bigg's killer whales (aka transients) are marine mammal predators, especially seals, sea lions, and porpoises. The transients will cruise the beach hoping to intercept an unwary harbor seal. A third PNW ecotype, the offshore killer whales, are known to feed on sharks (and halibut); like the South African killer whales that have been chowing down on the livers of great white sharks, the PNW offshore population also feed on shark livers. In other parts of the world, killer whale specialize on other food sources as well; in the North Atlantic, some populations specialize on herring.
These ecotype differences might be an example of sympatric evolutionary speciation in action, a generalist species splitting into new specialist species, or simply reflect the importance of learning local hunting techniques that are passed down from mothers to offspring in the matrilineal pods. And there is some evidence that killer whales can exploit relatively novel food sources. For example, in the 1990's, it was reported that a small group of killer whales in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska had been chowing down on sea otters and there are the recent reports of killer whales feeding on the livers of great white sharks off South Africa (and therefore the great white sharks leaving the area) which @t_law cited above. There are some minor anatomical differences among ecotypes (could be genetic, could be environmental) and there are some genetic differences that indicate some level of reproductive isolation (but not complete) over the last 150,000 years. As you can read in this paper, the genetic history of the various ecotypes is complicated and not necessarily consistent based on which part of the genome you analyze or which techniques you apply.
Steve

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

Was hoping to see some predatory action this morning

 

[Hem]

Somewhat unrelated.I have heard of people that target stripers with spearguns off Martha's Vineyard...at night. The killed fish are tied off to the swimmer. Is that begging for a hungry predator, or what.
Seems insane.

 

[SilverFly]

Orcas are attacking boats near Europe. It might be a fad.

Orcas sometimes pick up a behavior for a while and then quit it just as quickly.

www.livescience.com

 

[Paige]

Shark on shark

PHOTO: Huge Mako Shark Gets Bitten in Half By Even Bigger Shark

PHOTO: A huge Mako shark gets bitten in half by an even bigger shark in this incredible photo you won't believe

share.smartnews.com

 

[DimeBrite]

Tiger sharks and bull sharks worry me most when fly fishing the tropical flats. When I see turtles swimming around I get very alert. Our local killer whales are impressive animals, but not going to harm anyone.

 

[Paige]

Now sharks are killing Dolphins, I don't think I've ever heard of Dolphins being killed by sharks before?

Horror pics show aftermath of shark attack on dolphin nearly ripped in HALF

HORROR pics show a dolphin after it was ripped almost in half by shark yards from a beach. A junior doctor watched the bloody hunt in South Carolina, US, and posted pictures of the aftermath on Red…

share.smartnews.com

 

[mbowers]

I heard a story of a guy who was followed by an orca (a southern resident) whilst swimming back to shore after a dive off San Juan island. The orca was so close behind him that it may have been nipping at the ends of his fins, and his buddies on shore were going nuts but he had no idea that it was there. I think that if they wanted to attack you they could, but they just don’t.

The residents will kill other marine mammals for fun at times. I don't see why they wouldn't do the same with a human

Residents attack porpoises