War of the Whales

Humpbacks and Orcas Go Head To Head.

The relationship between killer whales and humpback whales is multifaceted, involving aspects of predation, competition, and occasional coexistence in the same marine ecosystems. Photo Credit: Canva

Let’s call it the War of the Whales, after a group of giant humpbacks faced off against a pod of orcas in an epic clash recently in Georgia Strait. 

The hour-long skirmish was caught on camera by Tobin Sparling, a naturalist with Prince of Whales Whale and Marine Life Adventures, who reported sighting about seven orcas and three humpbacks.

The two groups appeared to be fighting over territory, Claudia Milia, spokesman for Prince of Whales, told West Coast Now.

Humpback whales and orcas, a type of dolphin commonly known as killer whales, usually avoid each other off the BC coast. 

A humpback and a killer whale in close proximity. Both killer whales and humpback whales have migratory patterns related to their feeding and breeding grounds. In some regions, there is an overlap in the timing and location of these migrations. Humpback whales often migrate to polar regions to feed on krill and small fish during the summer, while killer whales may also be present in these areas, sometimes preying on other marine mammals. Photo Credit: Tobin Sparling, Prince of Whales Naturalist @tobinsparling.photography

However, one type of orca called transients, or Biggs killer whales, sometimes hunt baby humpback whales as prey. Researchers worldwide have reported adult humpbacks moving against orcas to protect not only their young but also other species. 

“The folks on the boat were really thrilled … but this is super rare, so I don’t want to mislead customers in future. The chances are seeing this ever again are slim.”

Claudia Milia, spokesman for Prince of Whales

In this rare encounter in BC, said Milia, the humpbacks looked like they were the aggressors. 

Observers on the boat reported that the humpbacks were vocalizing loudly, and “it looked like the humpbacks were chasing the orcas from their territory,” she said.

As required by law, the tour boat shut off its engines when the whales were spotted and stayed away from them, said Milia. But the fighting whales “got really, really close to the boat, which is also really rare.”

When it comes to interacting with Orcas, Humpback whales have evolved a variety of effective strategies. These tactics encompass the formation of protective groups, emitting powerful vocalizations, and utilizing their substantial flippers to generate impressive splashes and disturbances, all aimed at deterring potential threats. Video Credit: Tobin Sparling, Prince of Whales Naturalist @tobinsparling.photography

The passengers on the tour on Sept. 24 got far more than they bargained for. 

“This is NOT the standard for whale watching,” said Milia. “The folks on the boat were really thrilled … but this is super rare, so I don’t want to mislead customers in future. The chances of seeing this ever again are slim.”

Written by The Skeena

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