Emily Chan
Orcas have been ramming into yachts in the Iberian Peninsula, and experts believe the behavior is due to them practicing how to hunt their favorite food.
It all started back in 2020 when juvenile orcas began hitting and sinking boats. Scientists were unsure whether it was an accident, for revenge, or just for fun.
Now, they are theorizing that young orcas are using the boats as targets to practice hunting Atlantic bluefin tuna.
A team of researchers led by Bruno Díaz López, the director of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI), analyzed citizen science data to determine the distribution of orca populations.
Almost half (47 percent) of the 597 records of killer whale occurrences were related to interactions with vessels.
The team used the data to create computer models of the orcas’ movements to figure out their seasonal activity. The models showed that the orcas and tunas were influenced by the same environmental factors.
Wherever the tuna go, the orcas are likely to follow. They noted there were seasonal shifts in the orcas’ preferred habitats, which corresponded with the migration of tunas.
Different communities of orcas favor different prey. Iberian orcas rely on tuna a lot. Fortunately, Atlantic bluefin tuna are no longer considered to be endangered thanks to conservation efforts protecting them from overfishing.
Since the tuna’s numbers have bounced back, the Iberian orcas have more food available to them. They can now spend less time hunting and more time playing around.
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