this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
59 points (100.0% liked)

science

14722 readers
736 users here now

just science related topics. please contribute

note: clickbait sources/headlines aren't liked generally. I've posted crap sources and later deleted or edit to improve after complaints. whoops, sry

Rule 1) Be kind.

lemmy.world rules: https://mastodon.world/about

I don't screen everything, lrn2scroll

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
m3t00@lemmy.world
Joleee@lemmy.world
laverabe@lemmy.world
DeadPand@midwest.social
59
Killer Whale Conundrum: Why Are Orcas Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them? (scitechdaily.com)
submitted 11 months ago by Bebo@literature.cafe to c/science@lemmy.world
6 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

For many years, scientists have been puzzled by the behavior of Pacific Northwest fish-eating killer whales, who have been seen harassing and sometimes killing porpoises without eating them.

A study recently published in Marine Mammal Science, co-led by Deborah Giles of Wild Orca and Sarah Teman of the SeaDoc Society, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, looked at more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident killer whales and porpoises in the Salish Sea to better understand why they exhibit this behavior.

https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13073

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 16 points 11 months ago

"…the reason(s) for this behavior is unknown. Hypotheses include the social and developmental benefits of play, hunting practice, or displaced epimeletic behavior."