Young Pilot Whales Swimming with a Pod of Orcas Raises Questions Among Researchers.
Scientists from the Icelandic Orcas research program discovered a pod of orcas swimming alongside a young pilot whale off the coast of Iceland earlier this week. Previously, the non-profit organization Orca Guardians Iceland also observed a similar phenomenon in the summer of 2021. According to the research team, this adds complexity to the study of interactions between orcas and pilot whales.
Young pilot whale swimming with an orca in the pod. (Photo: Icelandic Orcas)
In last year’s case, a solitary young pilot whale swam with a pod of orcas off the west coast of Iceland. It lingered near a familiar female orca known to the experts at Orca Guardians Iceland.
Orca Guardians Iceland is puzzled as to why this phenomenon is recurring. This is a particularly unusual interaction as researchers have observed the two species in confrontation, where pilot whales actively chased orcas at high speeds, forcing them to quickly vacate the area.
In fact, orcas are also part of the dolphin family. They are highly social animals, using echolocation to communicate and hunt in groups. Their diet is diverse, ranging from fish, penguins, seabirds, seals to sharks and other whales. Family relationships appear to play a crucial role in orca life. Pods often consist of several related females and their offspring. Every 3 to 10 years, female orcas give birth to a calf, and the remaining pod members help care for the young.
According to Steve Byrne, founder of the Global Orca Alliance, the orca pod may empathize with the lost calf and adopt it. Pilot whales also follow a matriarchal structure similar to orcas. Sometimes, a calf becomes separated from its pod or is even abandoned. A young pilot whale cannot survive long on its own due to hunger from lack of maternal milk and threats from predators.
“Orcas are highly developed. They understand and have compassion for individuals in distress. A solitary pilot whale in the ocean needs care to survive,” Byrne stated.
