Whales are incredibly protective of their young and have developed several strategies to protect their calves.Īccording to a 2017 study, young humpback whales “whisper” to their mothers to avoid being heard by killer whales. Calves are particularly vulnerable to killer whale attacks because they lack experience evading predators. They will also eat others of their own kind and scavenge for dead creatures that have sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor.Īlthough sharks may not actively pursue blue whales, they can still be a threat to a young baby if they come across one while looking for food. Sharks prefer to go after easier prey, mainly feeding on smaller fish and marine mammals such as seals, dolphins, and turtles. The biggest predator shark species is the tiger shark, which grows to a maximum of 24 feet. The largest shark, the whale shark, can be up to 60 feet long, but mostly feed on plankton, krill and small fish. Sharks may feel threatened by a blue whale due to its size, but they generally don’t attack it.īlue whales are the largest animals on earth and can weigh up to 200 tons. Sharks are one of the most feared animals in the ocean and have been known to attack humans, but do they eat blue whales? The answer is no. If the hunting strategy is successful, the blue whale will be exhausted and immobilized, leaving them defenceless and an easy target. These predatory behaviours have been observed in other large whale predation events. After the whale carcass sunk, about 50 killer whales were in the area feasting and sharing around the blue’s flesh,”Īlthough blue whale attacks and harassment by killer whales have been documented in the past, these three predation events marked the first confirmed kills. “Close to the end, a female animal lunged head first into the blue’s mouth, presumably to feed on the tongue, the whale weakened more and we did not see the carcass again. A coordinated attack by several killer whales resulted in some females ramming the whale’s side and others attacking the head. Soon after, big pieces of skin and fat were ripped off the whale’s sides, and the blue whale was bleeding heavily and getting weaker, as shown by the fact that it moved slowly. Said Isabella Reeves, Flinders University PhD Candidate, and co-author of the report. Tooth-rake marks were evident in front and behind where the dorsal once was and even all the way to the whale’s tail,” The dorsal fin was missing, no doubt bitten off by the killer whales. At arrival we already noticed a substantial flesh wound on the top of its head with bone exposed. “When we arrived about 14 killer whales were attacking the blue in 70m waters, with the female killer whales leading the attack. Since then, another blue whale calf predation event was recorded in 2021. Only two weeks later, many of the same individuals took a blue whale calf. Researchers conducting annual whale and dolphin research surveys discovered the first-ever record of killer whales stalking and killing an adult blue whale in late March 2019. Until recently, there were no documented cases, so the success rate was unknown. Killer whales, also known as orcas, are apex predators that hunt in groups to kill their prey successfully. According to photo identification studies of blue whales, around 25% of individuals in the Gulf of California have rake-like scars, indicating orca encounters. Orcas are the only natural predators of blue whales, although the frequency of fatal orca attacks is unknown. Do Blue Whales Have Predators?īlue whales are the largest animal in the ocean and have few predators. For these, there is little defence, but in general, this species is just too large to have regular predators. Other human threats, such as pollution, ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, ocean noise, and climate change, still exist. Whalers used to hunt blue whales for their blubber and oil, but the International Whaling Commission banned this practice in 1966. Given that it was hunted nearly to extinction by whalers and that this species was once abundant in almost all of the Earth’s oceans until the end of the 19th century, it’s possible they once relied more on their pod-mates for protection as well. Although they typically swim at a slower pace of 5 to 15 miles per hour, they can swim at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.īlue whales are most commonly seen alone or in pairs, but concentrations of 50 or more can be found in areas with plenty of krill to eat. They can also make a loud slapping noise with their tail, which they can use to signal to other group members or frighten off predators. They can swim away from potential threats using their large size and strong tail. However, if threatened, blue whales (scientific name Balaenoptera musculus) have several defence mechanisms that they can use to protect themselves. Like most whales, blue whales are typically not hostile creatures and will try to avoid conflicts with other animals.
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