Elana Spivack is a science writer based in New York City. She has a master's degree from New York University's Science Health and Environmental Reporting Program and a bachelor's from Kenyon College in Ohio. She's written for Inverse, Popular Science, BitchMedia and others.
Stunning new video shows a pod of orcas attacking two adult gray whales in California's Monterey Bay, in a rare case of predation. Monterey Bay Whale Watch videographer Evan Brodsky, who captured the dramatic footage March 30 using a drone, counted more than 30 orcas. The attacked whales split up and eventually made it to safety in shallower waters after a 6-hour melee, Brodsky wrote in an Instagram post .
Orcas , also known as killer whales, are the only major predators of gray whales , according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. But killer whales usually hunt calves rather than adults, opting to"take advantage" of calves that migrate up the coast with their mothers in the first year of their lives, Ari Friedlaender , a marine mammal ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told Live Science.
While taking on adults is a big challenge, hunger is also a potent motivator. Friedlaender said the gamble to attack two adults was a matter of"risk-reward," meaning the reward of feasting on more whale meat must be weighed against the higher risk of sustaining injury. At the moment, he said there's not enough information to determine whether the orca population is suffering from food deprivation.
Orcas can grow up to 32 feet long and weigh over 12,000 pounds , according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries . An adult gray whale can reach up to 49 feet long and weigh about 90,000 pounds . Gray whale newborns are around 15 feet long and weigh 2,000 pounds .
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Mila Kunis Confirms She’s Not in New ‘Fantastic Four’ Film, But She “Knows Who Is”The actress said on 'The Late Late Show' that she went to lunch with the film's director, Matt Shakman, and 'the next day I was somehow in 'Fantastic Four.''
Weiterlesen »
Harris faces new test of political skills in 2024 campaign - New York Amsterdam NewsAfter two years of tightly scripted, uneven performances that often dismayed Democrats and cheered Republicans, Harris is looser, more forceful and more willing to speak off the cuff following her trip to Africa a month ago.
Weiterlesen »
New York City's new tool to stop car thefts: Apple AirTagsWith car thefts soaring to a 16-year high, the city is distributing 500 of the devices 'to take a bad guy off the streets,' NYPD says.
Weiterlesen »
'The Real Housewives of New York City' Returns: See the New TeaserThe Housewives are back to take a bite out of the Big Apple.
Weiterlesen »