mother nature network‘s Bryan Nelson reports on one of the fascinating activities of humpback whales – interference with the hunting behavior of orca packs:
Marine ecologist Robert Pitman observed a particularly dramatic example of this behavior back in 2009, while observing a pod of killer whales hunting a Weddell seal trapped on an ice floe off Antarctica. The orcas were able to successfully knock the seal off the ice, and just as they were closing in for the kill, a magnificent humpback whale suddenly rose up out of the water beneath the seal.
This was no mere accident. In order to better protect the seal, the whale placed it safely on its upturned belly to keep it out of the water. As the seal slipped down the whale’s side, the humpback appeared to use its flippers to carefully help the seal back aboard. Finally, when the coast was clear, the seal was able to safely swim off to another, more secure ice floe.
The behavior appears to be widespread and involves multiple rescued species. and what’s even more fascinating (if you have the capacity to be more fascinated):
One common feature among many humpback whale rescue efforts is that the humpbacks often work in pairs. Scientists will need to do more research into this behavior, though, to truly understand the significance of it.
(Emphasis mine.) The potential, if unproven, implications of this report are enormous. Those which pop immediately to mind:
- Is this altruism or strategy? If the former then the implications for intelligence and free will are enormous. The latter is possible because humpback calves are hunted by orca packs, and thus are an indirect threat to adult humpbacks. By disrupting their feeding habits, humpback whales may weaken the orca packs and thus mitigate the threat to their calves. The mind then bubbles with questions.
- Do only current or expectant mothers perform these rescues? Or do they do it regardless of parent status? Are the pairs mated pairs or only females or only males or what?
- How do they know an animal is in trouble? Or are they tracking the orca packs and creating opportunistic rescues?
- Do they interfere with hunting by other predators, such as great white sharks?
(h/t Maddowblog)
