An unprecedented insight into killer whale behavior
Posted January 23, 2011 5:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Groundbreaking new research has revealed some fascinating insights into the patterns of killer whales near Alaska.
A scientist with the Vancouver Aquarium has discovered a surprising number of killer whales are preying on grey whales, the species far larger than themselves.
Lance Barrett-Lennard and his team of researchers have been following whale behaviour up north for four years.
He says they were surprised to discover killer whales are storing the carcasses of grey whales “They’re killing the grey whales in relatively shallow water, stashing their carcasses on the bottom, feeding on them for a few hours, and then returning to feed on them for several days.”
According to researchers, this kind of storage behaviour has never been documented among killer whales before.
Barrett-Lennard says this is the first time anyone’s looked at how the behavioural patterns of killer whales are affecting other creatures in the ocean. “What we’re able to show here is that killer whales really are major players in effecting the form, distribution, and behaviour of many other species in the ocean.”
The research project is part of the world’s longest continuous study of killer whales in BC.
