Killer whales attack and sink yachts: scientists think they are teaching each other this deadly behavior

Killer whales teach each other how to sink boats. This was stated by experts after a group of mammals attacked the yacht of a British couple during the holidays, reports Dailymail.

Photo: IStock

Scientists said that, in their opinion, as early as 2020, the killer whale began to attack yachts "in retaliation." But now other individuals are imitating this dangerous behavior.

killer whale attack

Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell of Cambridge were enjoying sailing off the coast of Morocco this week when they spotted a flock of killer whales. Then some of the mammals began crashing into the boat - the attack continued for an hour, the couple claims.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw them - they are very rare,” said Janet, 58. “We were surprisingly calm, but deep down we thought: “Oh my God.”

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“Because we were calm, everything was fine, but at first we were in a daze. And only after everything we admitted to each other that it was very scary. We got out our valuables and our passports and were getting ready to get the life raft,” Janet said. “It didn’t really help that the weather conditions were bad even before the killer whales showed up. The boat moved a lot - it was difficult to distinguish the impact of a wave from an attack by killer whales. But we had a very professional team.”

“We all stayed calm because we knew if any of us got worried it would be dangerous,” Stephen, 58, said. “The killer whales were enjoying the thrill of the chase, so ideally we should have stayed put, but that was not possible due to the wind.”

Thoughtful strategy

Since May 2020, there has been a significant increase in reports of dangerous interactions with killer whales off the coast of the Iberian Sea, according to a study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

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Attacks appear to be more focused on sailing boats. Killer whales follow the pattern: mammals quickly approach from the stern, and then attack the ship's rudder (the main element of the ship's passive steering device, a vertical plate that rotates on an axis in the aft underwater part of the ship).

Researchers believe that this behavior can be taught to young killer whales.

“Killer whales do this on purpose. Of course, we don’t know the origin or motivation of these actions, but their defensive behavior is becoming more obvious to us every day,” said study co-author and biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal Alfredo Lopez Fernandez.

Eligible to charter and operate sailing ships, Janet and Stephen had to complete the second day of a week-long course in order to gain many miles. But on May 2, only seven miles from Tangier, killer whales attacked them.

The pair were taking a nap, preparing for the night's watch, when they felt impacts on the hull and heard the screams of crew members - they rushed to the deck. At some point during the attack, the team saw killer whales, believed to be at least six of them, chasing debris that looked like a sponge in the water.

An hour later, the killer whales stopped chasing, but the steering wheel on the boat failed, and they headed back to the shore.

Returning to the port, they realized that the wreckage was pieces of the rudder of their sailing yacht Bavaria.

According to Janet, the couple will get another opportunity to take the course.

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“We took this course to gain experience so we will know what to do if it happens again,” Janet said.

The Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Europe and Africa, was previously called the "killer whale alley" because of the large number of whales. Earlier there were also reports of whale attacks on ships in the area.

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