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On
8th January 2005, we were fortunate to observe an attempted predatory attack by
4-5 killer whales on a large pod of around 20 sperm whales in deep water
(>2,000
m) off northern Angola. The following images were all taken during the
encounter.
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Throughout
the encounter the
sperm whale group (estimated 18-20 whales) remained logging
together in a tightly-clustered formation, with
bursts of splashing and very frequent
blowing. Some whales were seen rolling at
the surface, with their flippers and tail
flukes clear of the water, and several bursts
of blood-filled spray were observed. The
sperm whales did not form the defensive 'rosette
formation' but appeared to try and remain orientated towards the
killer whales throughout the encounter |
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The
killer whales spent much of the encounter
subsurface, embarking on dives of several
minutes duration before reappearing at the
surface. It wasn't clear whether the
killers approached the sperm whale group while
under the water or remained skirting around the
outside of the group |
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Following
a dive, the
killer whales usually surfaced very actively ahead of the
sperm whales, exhibiting spy-hopping and
half-breach behaviour and creating much white
water |
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During
some surfacing sequences the killer whales swam
around the sperm whale group, maintaining a
distance of around 50 m. During this
behaviour, the sperm whales repositioned
themselves to remain facing the killer whales |
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Killer
whales patrolling the sperm whale group, during
which the
sperm whales remained clustered together |
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Three
of the killer whales surfacing together |
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At
one point the killer whales surfaced line
abreast and travelled fast and purposefully
towards our vessel and the sperm whale group,
creating a notable bow-wave. We moved our
boat back to a more cautionary distance! |
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When
we left the encounter, the killer whales were
still actively circling the sperm whale
group. The final outcome of this
interaction is unknown. |
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