Attacks by orcas that wrecked boats off the Iberian coast in the region of Spain could be motivated by revenge, scientists say. Recently, at least three ships are said to have been hit and destroyed by the mammals.
At least three ships would have been hit and sunk by the mammals Photo: Reproduction/ ND
The information comes from UOL. In an interview with the Live Science website, University of Aveiro marine biologist Alfredo López Fernandez explained that the explanation may lie in previous trauma to the animals. According to him, most of the incidents were harmless, but it could all have started when a female orca had an accident with a boat that resulted in her attacking other vessels.
“The orcas do it on purpose, we don’t know the origin or the motivation of course, but defensive behavior based on trauma as the origin of all this is gaining strength for us every day,” said Fernandez.
Orcas are suspected in a video showing a whale “appearing out of nowhere” and attacking a boat carrying fishermen
A video circulating on social media shows a whale attacking a boat carrying fishermen. In the images, the boat can be seen circling through an area of ice as the whale “appears out of nowhere” and throws itself at the ship.
The horror is clear and the fishermen immediately leave the place, fortunately in this case alive.
Those who published the footage blamed the orcas for the attack, but it’s entirely possible that another species was involved: the bowhead whale. This hypothesis is quite credible given the size of the animal and the color pattern.
No killer whale attack on humans has been recorded in the wild, only in captivity. But this video might indicate that they are really good at killing people. pic.twitter.com/3EUmGiQ5qj
— Macrodosing (@MacrodosingPod) May 18, 2023