Researchers are unsure about the causes for the behaviour, but theories include that it is a playful manifestation of the mammals’ curiosity, a social fad or the intentional targeting of what they perceive as competitors for their favourite prey, the local bluefin tuna.
Wasn't there a big thing about how they suspected these attacks might have started with a mother watching her baby get maimed and killed by a yacht? Like, I swear it was a thing, but I can't find any articles about it and Wikipedia says roughly the same thing as the quoted paragraph.
I will say though, that I found this bit from Wikipedia interesting:
Researchers have also suggested that the behaviour could be a "fad". Other such cultural phenomena among orcas have been short-lived, such as in 1987 when southern resident orcas from Puget Sound carried dead salmon around on their heads.
Researchers have also suggested that the behaviour could be a “fad”. Other such cultural phenomena among orcas have been short-lived, such as in 1987 when southern resident orcas from Puget Sound carried dead salmon around on their heads.
Oh man, I'm so behind the times. That's not in anymore? No wonder why everyone's been looking at me weird.
If you like this, check out the Greatwinter trilogy, there is a "siren song" that the citaciones (whales) set at random times that lured humans to thier death, because they were done with out shit. Survivors walk around with "anchors on timers" so if you get caught in one, when the timer goes off the anchor drops, hopefully you get it tangled in something and stop walking so after the wave passes you you wake up.
a very good od trilogy!
I'll have to check that out! There's also Cachalot by Alan Dean Foster, which is an old favorite of mine. Humans give cetaceans their own planet and--without spoiling too much--shenanigans ensue.