Scientists solve the mystery of why killer whales are attacking boats

"Renaud de Stephanis, president of the Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE) in Spain, said this behaviour is 'playful, not aggressive'. 'What is happening with the Iberian orcas and boats is not an attack in the sense of aggression, predation, or territorial defense,' he told the Daily Mail. 'This interaction is closer to a game than to an attack. 'They are not mistaking the boats for prey, nor are they defending territory.'"

"These marine mammals are recognisable from their distinctive black and white bodies, white eye patches and white bellies. They are 'extremely intelligent and playful animals', said the expert, and their primary interest in a situation like this is the underside of the boat and moving rudders. 'What we have been documenting in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gulf of Cádiz, and Portugal is a game-like behaviour developed by a small subpopulation of orcas,' Dr de Stephanis said."

"A pod of the animals repeatedly rammed and sank a yacht full of tourists off the coast of Fonte da Telha beach, while a second vessel further north off Cascais was also targeted. Thankfully, all nine people on board the two vessels were rescued by nearby tourist boats before official lifeguards reached the scene. But they join a long list of orca incidents in the last few years, where vessels have been targeted in the Bay of Biscay, the Moroccan coast, the North Sea, and more."

A pod of Iberian orcas repeatedly rammed and sank a yacht near Fonte da Telha and targeted a second vessel off Cascais, with nine people rescued by nearby tourist boats before lifeguards arrived. Similar vessel-targeting incidents have been recorded across the Bay of Biscay, the Moroccan coast, and the North Sea. Scientists conclude the interactions are playful rather than aggressive, predatory, or territorial. The orcas focus on undersides and moving rudders because rudders move, vibrate, and provide resistance when pushed. The behavior appears to be a game developed by a small Iberian subpopulation in the Strait of Gibraltar, Gulf of Cádiz, and Portugal.

Read at Mail Online