{"id":38031,"date":"2024-04-22T15:55:38","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5b5e6943-1396-4075-820e-a88c89933aeb"},"modified":"2024-04-22T16:35:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T14:35:42","slug":"sperm-whales-have-been-seen-pooing-on-orcas-in-what-scientists-think-may-be-a-form-of-defensive-defecation","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/sperm-whales-have-been-seen-pooing-on-orcas-in-what-scientists-think-may-be-a-form-of-defensive-defecation\/","title":{"rendered":"Sperm whales have been seen pooing on orcas in what scientists think may be a form of ‘defensive defecation’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers observed orcas fleeing from sperm whale faeces \u2013 but was this \u2018defensive defecation’ a tactic or just a coincidence? <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 22 April 2024 at 13:55 PM<\/p>

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Guests on a whale watching trip in Bremer Bay, Western Australia, had a strange experience that has left marine biologists scratching their heads. <\/p>

They observed what appeared to be a pod of sperm whales<\/a> defending themselves from a killer whale<\/a> attack using a huge cloud of faeces \u2013 but was this on purpose, was it a chance occurrence or did the whales just have the crap scared out of them?<\/p>

Watch: Sperm whales release mysterious “large, dark cloud” to deter orcas during an attack. Credit Naturaliste Charters, Mark Jackman<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Pursuing a mystery<\/h2>

What started off as a quiet day on the whale watching boat (the orcas were embarking on long, deep dives that indicate foraging behaviour, meaning guests only had brief glimpses of them at the surface) would soon cause a splash in press around the world.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe orcas just took off into a surge,\u201d says Jennah Tucker, a marine biologist at\u00a0Naturaliste Charters<\/a>\u00a0who observed the incident from the boat. Surging is when killer whales move quickly through the water, often when in pursuit of mammals<\/a>. \u201cYou end up with this whitewash coming off their bodies,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>

The boat followed the orcas from a distance as they swam for about six nautical miles onto the continental shelf. \u201cThey moved from a depth of about 800 metres into only 80 metres of water, which we don\u2019t usually see in this offshore population,\u201d says Tucker.\u00a0<\/p>

For a moment, all was quiet. The observers watched, rapt, to see what would happen next. \u201cWe were expecting a beaked whale to surface. That\u2019s what this population of orcas is most commonly sighted targeting for prey,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>

Guests on the boat saw four adult sperm whales and one juvenile in a tight huddle at the surface, with orcas swimming in circles around them. Credit: Jodie Lowe<\/figcaption><\/figure>

But it wasn\u2019t a beaked whale. It was something much bigger. \u201cA huge tail fluke of a sperm whale appeared,\u201d she says, and they saw four adults and a juvenile in a tight huddle at the surface. \u201cThey appeared really exhausted,\u201d she says, \u201cand the orcas were swimming in these really tight circles around them.\u201d<\/p>

Sperm whales\u00a0(Physeter macrocephalus<\/em>) are the ocean\u2019s largest toothed predator. Males can grow to\u00a018 metres\u00a0long and females to 11m, compared to male and female\u00a0killer whales\u00a0(Orcinus orca<\/em>), which can reach around 9m and 7m\u00a0respectively\u00a0(although males in this population in Western Australia tend to be more like 8m in length). \u201cPretty much, the sperm whales are almost double their size,\u201d says Tucker.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI wish I could have seen my face, honestly, when I realised that it was sperm whales they were pursuing. It was the most intense pursuit I’ve seen in my time here \u2013 they were just charging,\u201d says Tucker.<\/p>

“It was the most intense pursuit I’ve seen in my time here \u2013 they were just charging\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>

The group of sperm whales started to create a circle with their heads facing inwards and their thrashing tails pointed outwards \u2013 a formation known as a rosette, which has been reported to occur when pods are trying to protect a calf or injured individual. Although it wasn\u2019t clear from the boat, the adults may have been keeping the young whale in the centre for safety.<\/p>

Then, a large, dark cloud rose to the surface among the sperm whales. \u201cWe initially thought it was blood,\u201d says Tucker, \u201cbecause, quite often, with a successful mammal predation you tend to get a big blood bubble. That\u2019s how you know it\u2019s all over.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\"Defensive
\u201cWe initially thought it was blood,\u201d says Tucker, a marine biologist who observed the event. Credit: Jodie Lowe<\/figcaption><\/figure>