Killer whales, or killer whales, are considered avid hunters known for their smart, efficient, and non-violent techniques.

Thus, the view of a female killer whale with cubs of another species of cetaceans in near Icelandcaused great surprise to scientists.

“I immediately saw that there was something strange about all this,” says Marie-Thérèse Mrustok, who works as a scout on the whale watching ship Lucky Tours.

The ship’s crew initially thought it was a killer whale, but photographs confirmed Mrustok’s suspicions that the female, named Sadis, he seemed to be watching a newborn pilot whale.

This unique sight was recorded near Snaefellsnes, west of Iceland, in August 2021 and is now the subject of a study. research led by Mrustsok, recently published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology..

“It’s a different level of empathy that we see in these animals if they are able to take care of other species,” says Mrustsok, head of the NGO Orca Guardians Iceland and researcher at the Icelandic Center for Nature Research.

The question the researchers were unable to answer is whether was accepted killer whale, due to mother loss or abandonment, or if Sadis stole from his parents.

“The possibilities are many…but what we can say for sure is that the female has shown defensive behavior towards the pilot whale,” explains Mrustok.

The newborn was seen swimming right next to the killer whale, meaning it was dragged along and needed less energy to swim. It remains unknown if he was by her side willingly and if he stayed with her and for how long.

The strange couple was spotted swimming together 21 minutes, while she was accompanied by two other adult killer whales, a female Dragonfly and a male Zale, who were often seen together. These two killer whales turned out to be tolerant small, although it also remains unknown whether there was any interaction between them.

Killer whales and pilot whales have similar social structuresforming strong, lasting bonds between mother and child, so researchers believe that care between individuals of the two species is possible.

In the nine years that the researchers followed Sadys, she did not have a child of her own, so it is unlikely that she could give birth. milk to lift the child.

One theory by scientists, however not supported by evidence, is that the orca may have miscarried or lost her newborn shortly before meeting another whale calf she saw as replace.

Killer whales and pilot whales have been known to compete and prey on each other, scientists say, possibly for food, and in the case of Iceland, herring or Atlantic mackerel.

“If it were kidnapping or kidnappingmay explain to some extent why pilot whales often hunt to ward off killer whales,” says Rob Lott of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, who was not involved in the study.

Although this is the first time this behavior has been observed in killer whales, it has been documented in other cetacean species, including the common short-beaked dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, pilot whale in the Indian Ocean, and pilot whale in the Indo-Pacific region, which have been seen caring for small members of other species.

“Anything is possible – watching killer whales taught me that you never know what is going on. There is always a mystery, there is always something to learn,” Mrustok says.

In 2022, Sadis was also seen interacting with pilot whales, but this time the puppy was no longer with her, but with scientists. they assume he is dead.

Source: Guardian