AUSTIN. TEXAS: During one of the episodes of his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience', MMA commentator Joe Rogan discussed the devastating impacts of whale orca attacks on boats. The UFC commentator recently interviewed comedian Theo Von on his wildly famous podcast and the two talked about the impact of these attacks.
Orca, also known as killer whale, is a toothed whale in the oceanic dolphin family. It is the largest member and found in various marine environments, including Arctic and Antarctic regions. Orcas are apex predators with diverse diets and social behaviors.
'They've decided to let people know'
During the episode, Rogan said to Von, "Have you seen what's going on with orcas?... They started sinking boats and they're teaching each other how to sink boats. Apparently, this boat f**ked up one of these orcas because sometimes what happens is something will go wrong and a propeller will hit. It happens all the time with sharks. It's happened with whales. Propellers will f**k up a dolphin."
He continued saying, "It's happening quite a bit off the Iberian Coast. The Iberian orca has taught at least nine other whales to attack and destroy rudders. I just think it's a thing with a particular area where the orcas in that particular area have had problems with people and so they've decided to let them know who the f**k is the boss. They're f**king up people's boats. I'd bring fish. I'd be like, 'I'm not that dude, I'm your friend'."
Orcas are said to have begun sinking vessels in 2020. These attacks will continue until 2023, as scientists and sailors seek an answer.
What is the reason of orcas' sudden behavior changes?
The abrupt attacks on boats by killer whale orcas continue to perplex scientists and sailors. There are two plausible explanations for the attacks, according to AZ Animals.
The text reads, "First, a pod of killer whales could have started a trend of attacking boats. Dolphins and whales are prone to creating trends amongst their species. In this case, it’s possible that some young killer whales decided that it would be fun to sink boats off the Iberian Peninsula. As other members of the pod noticed these trendsetters, they may have decided to follow along."
It continues, "Perhaps another reason behind the continuous attacks is that these killer whales experienced a prior negative encounter with a boat. To protect themselves from future bad boat encounters, the killer whales may have determined that sinking boats altogether was the best course of action. The true explanation might consist of a combination of both of these reasons."
As long as the underlying cause of the attacks is unknown, researchers will be perplexed about how to prevent them. While these attacks have occurred around the Iberian Coast, it is unknown whether killer whale orcas will exhibit similar behaviour in other areas.
