Horror moment: Mother and son killer whales team up to drown rival’s baby killer whale in rare attack that has NEVER been filmed before

THIS is the horror moment mother and son killer whales team up to drown their rival’s baby orca in a terrifying attack never before captured on film.

The rare and chilling footage shows a female orca and her daughters playing with the calf, which is not unusual when two groups come together.

5

5

5

But playtime soon took a turn for the worse when the son hit the calf with brutal force.

He and his mother then trapped the baby orca between them, forcing him to drown underwater.

The heartbreaking clip was filmed as part of National Geographic’s new series ‘Queens’, which explores the behavior of matriarchs in the animal kingdom.

But the team didn’t expect to witness, let alone record, the infanticide of orcas movie because it is extremely rare.

Executive producer of the series told Chloe Sarosh Living Science: “This behavior is so rare – in fact, we think this is probably the first case of filmed infanticide of orcas.

“We didn’t plan to film it, it was just a matter of the right place and the right time.”

Sarosh explained that the crew videotaped the incident for hours.

A few days later, an orca similar in size and description to the drowned calf was found dead on a shore five miles away.

It is suspected that this is the same drowning calf.

ULTRA-RARE ATTACK

The images will also be used to investigate the phenomenon.

“That’s why this footage is so important because it gives scientists the opportunity to study it to identify who’s fins and markings and what role they play in this behavior,” Sarosh said.

Because the encounter was so unexpected, the team called on a number of scientists to help analyze the behavior and determine that it was infanticide.

While the behavior of the matriarch and her son is clear, more research will be needed to understand the behavior of the other members of the group and their responsibilities.

Infanticide among killer whales is so unusual that it has only been observed once in the published scientific literature: in a 2018 study published in Scientific Reports.

We didn’t plan to film it, it was just a matter of right place, right time.

Chloe Sarosh, producer

A case of calf killing was reported among a population of transient killer whales in the North Pacific.

As with the last encounter, this involved a mother orca and her adult male son.

Researchers captured footage of the aftermath of the 2018 event, but it reportedly does not show the moment the calf was killed.

Charli Grimes, an animal behavior researcher at the University of Exetertold LiveScience, “A lot of time is spent observing killer whales in the Pacific Northwest and since it has only been documented once in the literature, that seems to make it a rare event.”

KILL AND REPRODUCE

Scientists believe that infanticide among killer whales may allow the male to reproduce with the mother of the deceased calf.

“The assumption is that this was done so that the mother would return to estrus [a period of sexual receptivity] and the male could mate with her and have more calves in another group from the matriarch – furthering the genes and genetic life,” Sarosh said.

She added: “It’s phenomenal behaviour, really important behaviour.

‘It shows the current of the matriarch and the lengths she will go to do what is best for her group and her son and her lineage.

CAUGHT IN ICE

Another tragic video shows a pod of orcas desperately poking out of chunks of ice, trying to catch their breath.

At least 13 killer whales are seriously trapped in drift ice off the coast of Hokkaido in the north Japan.

The grim footage, broadcast by Japanese national broadcaster NHK, showed the whales trapped between a huge sheet of ice near the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its wildlife.

Marien expert Seiichiro Tsuchiya was conducting research in the area when he discovered those affected animals through his drone.

He told the broadcaster: “I saw about thirteen orcas with their heads sticking out of a hole in the ice.

“It looked like they were having trouble breathing, and it looked like there were three or four calves with them.”

BLOODY WATERS

Shocking images seem to show a lonely person orca whale killing a great white shark in an “unprecedented” attack.

The killer whale was captured while eradicating the predator off the coast of Mossel Bay South Africa last year.

And now the footage, captured by nearby tourists on a boat, revealed the moment of the deadly ordeal.

The orca can be seen dragging one great white shark before ripping out his organs.

Experts said the whale “grabbed the shark’s left pectoral fin and thrust the shark forward several times before finally disemboweling it.”

The killer whale soon reappeared with “a bloody piece of peach-colored liver in its mouth.”

NEW TRICKS

OCRAS has engaged in numerous new aggressive activities that lead scientists to believe they are getting smarter as a species.

There have been dozens of sightings of killer whales gruesomely killing other marine species, which was not original behavior for them.

They are currently fighting blue whales and kidnapping baby pilot whales sharks to eat their livers, Living Science reported.

They have also been seen bullying porpoises by throwing them around with other orcas for entertainment.

They even have three boats sunk a new bizarre behavior since 2020.

Scientists have been trying to figure out why the whales would pick up this new hostile behavior out of nowhere.

It has been suggested that whales as an entire species can learn new behaviors due to the complexity of their brains.

Interactions with people on boats can also be a determining factor.

5

5