Kind of funny that you mentioned honey badgers when most of the time, this is even documented, they run into their burrows. The ONLY time they are so aggressive is when they are too far from their burrow and cannot escape. Mongoose are the same when they are too far from their burrow.
@kaijuar2003 youve missed my point entirely. They may run to safety IF its available but not many animals their size can survive an attack from some of the animls they encounter. You have to be more trouble than you're worth. Now Im also not saying they are the only animals in the world that do that.. I feel I need to point that out lol
It's not the big guys that are scary...ichtyotitan, megalodons, livyatan. It's the undiscovered crackheads that were living in the water with them we have to worry about.
Orcas are very intelligent. The adults might not be at too much risk from pilot whales, but their young would be. It's not like they can lock them up somewhere safe while they go out hunting.
Faroe Islanders: Bóghvítuhvalirnir eru bangnir fyri grindahvølunum , men vit eru teir sum grindahvalirnir skulu vera bangnir fyri (Orcas fear the pilot whales, but we are the ones who pilot whales should be fear of)
Very curious behaviour. It also shows how smart they are, knowing their strenghts and weaknesses. For example orcas knowing their numbers are inferior or the pilot whales knowing that speed and numbers help them bully an apex predator.
I was sprayed by a long fin pilot whale when I was 12 out fishing with my dad. It came so close to our little boat i could have reached out and touched it, but i didnt notice it untill it sprayed me because I was looking away. Most magical moment of my life. Pilot whales and Sperm whales are my 2 favorite animals (and coincidentally are also the 2 loudest animals)
Could be. By respecting territorial claims, both species live in peace, mostly. Both use coordination in an attack. The casualties on both sides would cause a sickening result. As stated, both species are intelligent. Perhaps it is a recognition of sentience in each other. Could explaine why neither species hunts humans, though they are physically capable of doing so.
I suspect that these creatures, orcas and pilot whales alike, are so intelligent that they have different attitudes and behaviours towards other species. You cannot bet on all behaving the same. And I do see orcas kidnapping, as I see them adopting. Maybe it was an isolated case. As I said, they are so intellingent as to be difficult to read.
@@wildworld6264 Perhaps we can see the similar behaviors with land mammals. I feel like there is a great deal of instictual behavior even among creatures that have mostly learned behaviors... Like behaviors we see between preditory species on land.
Female Orca comes across crying baby pilot whale separated from mother and pod, I could see it adopting it especially with them being rather similar. Can only imagine what happened when it grew up though, maybe there's pod of Orca's out there with a pilot whale too.
I don't know where you are researching.. But, if you are calling an Orca a "bully" that got "bullied".. You should check into legit peer reviewed analysis and then come back and pontificate... Orcas DO NOT get bullied ever.. That is a legitimately tested fact... They don't hunt solo either.. So, you get to f-a-f-o with a huge pod of them gunning for anything... Welcome to reality.. Don't need to be a marine biologist to figure this one out..
Huh, I didn't know about this, but if I had to guess, I'd wager that it's a similar dynamic that lions and hyenas have, that being two social predators that have a rough overlap in prey that they consume, ergo leading to a natural tendency for aggression between the two competitors.
the way i see it is that predators are looking for victims, not opponents. if you behave like prey, they'll see you as prey and attack. if you act like you're equal in power, many predators will just leave you alone.
This may seem irrelevant to the topic, but man I loved the two videos on the man-eating big cats.Therefore, I humbly request you to continue the series 🙏🙏🙏 Sincerely, Your Subscriber
No problem taking out big baleen whales, jumbo sized pinnipeds, and dangerous sharks. And yet they're nervous around their own cousins... go figure 🤷🏾♂️
At first seeing your video’s thumbail I thought it was a clickbait but it’s actually a pretty good and sober factual video. I really appreciated it. Thanks !
One thing they didn't mention was numbers When I see pilot whales I seems to be a pretty significant group High numbers of more agile smaller foes would be enough to make you turn around
Been here for a few years now and it's super cool to see you at 100k subs. It was pretty clear you'd get there from the beginning, you make fantastic videos.
As a born and raised Seattlelite as well as a strong Advocate for the Southern Resident Pod that lives in our waters; I can testify to the strength of love mother Orca's feel for their babes. One mother lost her babe and carried the corpse for months refusing to give up her child. The mental health of this mother Orca was a great concern Washingtonians did not ignore and prayed on every day. Not only that but when the young are threatened in the pod as many Orca's were in Washington in the 60's until the 80's. When the pods were hunted and attacked (because SeaWorld and other such places wanted captive Orca's) these Orca's knew that it was their young the humans wanted to steal. The mother's and other female would dive very deep with their young so as not to be seen. The male Orca's would stay at the surface drawing the hunters away from the females and young taking them miles in the opposite direction. They are massively intelligent, on a level most humans are unwilling to accept. Sadly as the hunts became more sophisticated helicopters were used. The spotters could tell that there were no calves at the surface with what they now know was the males. Also Orca's as truly Dolphins and not Whales can not dive as deep. Especially with small babes. Which meant the spotters from such heights were able to follow the calves and catch them. I do not see a Southern Resident Pod mother stealing another mother's child. Adopting an orphaned calf, definitely. However all Pods are different.
I live in Washington and wish the picky ones would learn to eat sea lions instead of only fish. Then our fruity Governor and Sideshow Bob want to breech the damns for a few whales. Sure, crash the local economy and cause more overall environmental harm 🤦🏻♂️
The case of the Orca with the Pilot whale calf is an example of a classic human trait where a hostage is given to ensure they don’t attack? Truly fascinating stuff. Also, it makes sense the Orca would be protecting it since it’s their insurance policy against Pilot Whale aggression?
Humans have generally severely downplayed the intelligence of animals in history. And even now people refuse to believe stuff like chimpanzees having better short term memory than humans.
I doubt this is why the Orca was protecting the Pilot calf. I think its just the unique personality of that particular Orca. Its also a Dolphin species and Dolphins are known to interact, bond, befriend other Dolphin species.
This seems pretty unlikely. I would bet the female orca lost her own baby, and given that baby pilot whales are close to the same size and shape of baby orcas, her maternal instincts imprinted on the baby pilot whale. Interspecies adoption isn't uncommon in the animal kingdom, especially among female mammals who have recently lost their own offspring.
Shamu: How are you enjoying the party? Willy: Its great, plenty of seals to torture, just got back from rip the liver out of the shark, but the squid buffet was empty. Shamu: Empty? I just filled it, and its not exactly a favorite among our kind. Wha- Pilate: HI GUYS GREAT PARTY Shamu: ... of course. Pilate: HAHA HEY GUYS ITS ME PILATE. REMEMBER? Willy: Yes, we remember, its funny because- Pilate: I WASH MY FINS OF THIS HAHA THAT'S REAL FUNNY RIGHT? LAYERS TO THAT JOKE. Shamu: We know. You've... you've explained the joke every time we've met- Pilate: BECAUSE PILATE? PILOT WHALE? HAHA GET IT? Willy: YES. Shamu: WE GET IT. Pilate: HAHAHA AND THEN I WASH MY- Willy: Like Pontius Pilate Pilate: RIGHT? AND THEY'RE ALREADY IN THE WATER HAHA I AM ALWAYS WASHING THEM HAHAHAHA Shamu: You're alone, right? You didn't bring any of your friends right? We could salvage the evening. Pilate: OH NO I CALLED MY WHOLE POD OVER THE SECOND I FOUND THE PARTY HAHA WEIRD HOW YOU DIDN'T INVITE ANY OF US Willy: Anyway I gotta go beach myself bye Shamu: No no no Willy wait we can... argh! Pilate: HEY WHERE'S EVERYBODY GOING? WAIT UP! CAN YOU BABY SIT MY KID? Humans observing: The orcas are afraid of the pilot whales
The pilot whale every time an orca call is heard: *wee woo wee woo* *beep boop beep boop beep boop beep boop* "Over G, Roll Left" "Over G, Roll Right" *eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee* "Lock"
If it’s simply avoidance without ever witnessing a fight, it might not be fear but disgust. Pilot whales: hear that guys? Or Orca brothers are nearby, let us spread word of our lord and savior Poseidon. Orcas: oh crap, not these guys again….
There is precedent for what one might call “generational beef”. You know some African herbivores are ON SIGHT with Lions, attacking them ruthlessly and preemptively. It may be a social behaviour that’s just evolved over time, group-behaviour. Pilot Whales just gradually learned they can bully Orcas away and Orcas learned from each other that other toothed whales aggressive towards them and close to their size aren’t worth the trouble. There is also precedent for mobbing behaviour, such as with seals grouping up and harassing Great Whites hunting them, and while the shark could take the chance to snatch one, having a dozen pinnipeds with sharp teeth biting you isn’t worth it for a meal and so even the modestly intelligent whites back off. For pilot whales it makes sense with Orcas because they are certainly big enough to effectively harass and threaten Orcas, as well as being social enough to know to mob them regularly.
At I think age 4 I was gifted a running subscription to WDCS and I remember years ago when little paragraphs about this stated appearing! It seems like it’s going to be the next big topic till something new about great whites/orca/spinosaurus comes along! Pilot whales are so socially bonded they are notorious for mass standings and will follow each other well past the point where sense and fear should make them leave, sadly makes them idea candidates of drive hunts 😞 I have wondered if pilot whales ever do any bat signal type behaviours between pods and if this could be a reason Orca will leave an area, don’t what 20 pilots to turn into 100! But just speculation. Grata vid Thomas 👌
Eeexcelleeent video! I love learning about animals that stand up to orca. I read about rhe relationship between orca and pilot whales but it's so niche it's hard to find material that covers that topic. So thank you for your evidence-based summary of the peculiar relationship between these two dophin species. 💯✅
im curious as to whether or not they tried to see how pilot whales react to the sounds of orcas that specialize in hunting mammals aka whale and other dolphins to see if the pilot whales react in the same or a different way similar to how they tested different eco type orca sounds on sharks and found that the sharks will actually ignore orca sounds from eco type that don't hunt sharks or ones that don't exist in here area but as soon as they started playing the sounds of the eco type(s) that are known shark hunters that exist in there area the sharks would flee the area and/or dive to deep depths to hide, that same test would let us now if pilot whales treat all orcas the same or just act aggressively to the squid and fish eating ecotypes but avoid/run from the mammal/dolphin hunting ones that are known to prey on other dolphins.
Pilot Whales have been observed charging at (and scaring off) marine mammal eating Orcas here in Australia, so it's not a uniquely food-driven response on either party, though that may still play a role in some cases.
I assume one reason in general for whales of different species to avoid one another is their differing "languages." It may become exceptionally difficult for them to coordinate a hunt with another pod of a different species also doing their thing nearby.
Elimination of competition. Just like lions vs hyenas or hyenas vs wild dogs. When prey is abundant there is no reason to risk an injury unless the odds are overwhelmingly in one's group favor. When prey is scarce they'll go after each others throat.
Were the orcas in question transient or regional? Do the pilot whales bully just the regional killer whales who feed on fish or/and the transients who eat marine mammals. This could help explain the reason if the pilot whales were looking for food or just bullying
This behaviour occurs across multiple populations of Pilot Whales, towards multiple populations of Killer Whales, with absolutely zero regard to the prey type preferred by the Killer Whales. They do it here in Australia, for example. Pilot Whales have charged at and scared off Killer Whales in Bremer Bay, and those guys are very much marine mammal eaters, in fact, they seem to specialise on Beaked Whales, which are approximately Pilot Whale sized. The Pilots don't care though. They've charged at the Orcas when they've been literally in the middle of killing a Beaked Whale.
Yes! I love orca videos! I'm about to have lunch while watching it 😎 Btw, idk if you read my comment on the last video, but it would be awesome if you made a Tortoise-related video! Maybe include it on a list of some sorts, it would be perfect! I love tortoises 🐢💙
I actually didn't know there were 2 types of pilot whales. Very interesting creatures it seems. Perhaps is more display then threat? Maybe a prehistoric rivalry? Perhaps it's like that pissed off neighbor. Definitely need to look into this one more. Really interesting and great video man!
The earth is young!!! If the entire earth was made from carbon 14 it would completely disappear in less than a million years so that proves that the earth is not even close to a million years old!!!!
I love your videos so much, it's one of (if not) the best channel for fascinating science stuff but I'd definitely almost every other marine mammal to be scared shitless after they suddenly hear orcas calls, they are the wolves of the sea but they have a third dimension they can attack you from.. horrifying. I'm sure they prefer weak or old whales but as long as enough of them are together I think they can take down every single one. There's a whole pod of these killing machines, I think these pilot whales came because they thought the orcas found an excellent school of fish and it's worked out for the ones in this study at least once and for all I know this running towards it part could all be based on a single pair.
An interesting fact about Orca behavior that might play into this is that female Orcas will gang up on the larger, slower & less agile males to keep them at the fringes of the pod. There has been cases in captivity where there's limited space where females have seriously injured & even killed males because of this. This shows in the Orca world might doesn't make right, as speed, agility & group size is far more important in altercations. What I'm getting at here is this, the fact Pilot Whales are faster & more agile they can out maneuver the larger Orcas like how the females of the latter do with the males... And from what I can find, both species are very closely related both belonging to the subfamily (Globicephalinae) so they can have a lot of shared social behavior. In short, this can all play a factor in the two species interactions...
This is called pure educational content with proper research and also don't jump on to conclusion. Orca and sperm whales are my favorite and I am really shocked to know orca back down on smaller sized pilot whales.
It would be interesting to play Long Finned Pilot Whale Sounds near The Strait of Gibraltar through an underwater speaker to ward off Orca from attacking sailboats.
Very cool info. The multiple ideas of why pilot whales behave as they do were new to me..The scenario of a killer whale caring for a young pilot whale also was news............
Pilot whale pods are 25 %bigger on average, and long fin pods live year round in close proximity to more pods and will band together readily ,orcas do similar but only sesonally ,so weight of numbers could well be a factor.
Hey there, i've got two "cryptid" sugestions for you: the Iriomote leopard (Yamapikaryaa, not the small Iriomote cat), and the Fjordland moose in New Zealand.
Abduction or kidnap 😂😂😂😂😂 oh my goodness. That sounds so crazy for the orca to methodically plan out a kidnapping. I could see the whales having their own amber alert system
Alternative theory. Pilot whale: HEY! I'm coming to see you man, been ages, how you doin, how's little Benny, ya lookin after him? Is that herring, ya got herring? Let's catch up, let's do lunch ya know, bada bing bada boom A A A A! Orca: *mumbles* Oh jesus christ it's the cousins. Oh my look at the time, must be going!
to me it seems that option 1 has not at all been ruled out by the limited findings and documented encounters yet. at least it's the first thing i thought of - very much like hyenas can be a major nuisance to lions and challenge them for prey.
My hunch is that this was a strategy they developed over time. If Orcas are close, charge at them and make sure you a) are not worth messing with and b) can keep them away from food you wanba have
When we know this little about animals we're extremely familiar with it gives you a sense of how very little we know about the ocean and it's creatures.
A pod of pilot whales tried to end themselves at my beach a few years ago. They all followed a wounded pod member ashore. The wounded whale had a sizable bite taken out of it and did not survive. Lucky for the rest of them they beached on an incoming tide in daylight otherwise it would have been a mass stranding at night and they would have been high and dry. People mobilized and we managed to push/ drag them back out to deeper water. The pod swam down the beach about 700 yards and attempted scuicide again. Once more people rallied and pushed them back out in a seaward direction. They again swam parralell to the beach and tried to beach themselves. Again we pushed them out and they ended up in the shipping channel. People in boats finally drove them out to sea by harrassing them with loud banging on hulls and other noises. Pilot whales aint the sharpest whales in the shed.
That’s an amazing defense - likely evolved over millions of years between these oceanic dolphin species. Run from the orca and they can have their pick - the pilot whales are big enough to present a threat, and charging the whales gives them no choice but to run. Killer whales are extremely smart and typically risk averse, they don’t injure themselves for free.
If orcas really do flee at the sound of pilot whales, yachts being harassed by orcas should try playing the recordings to see if it has any effect on that specific pod.
Although I cannot find any videos or photos of this, I do remember hearing from other wildlife channels that Pilot Whales actively hunting Orcas. Pilot Whale pods seem to have more members, than Orca pods, giving them an advantage in fights. Also, there were reports (on the same channel so take this with a grain of salt) of pods of Sperm Whale pods chasing a pod of Orca, though again, I am unable to locate any videos or photos of these events. I would love to see if anyone has ever witnessed these events, and if they managed to record said events on either video or photo
You don't have to be stronger to survive. You just have to be more trouble than you're worth. It's like the honey badger vs. literally anything.
Very well said.
iirc honey badgers are pretty dangerous for bigger predators as well, due to their tough fur
Kind of funny that you mentioned honey badgers when most of the time, this is even documented, they run into their burrows.
The ONLY time they are so aggressive is when they are too far from their burrow and cannot escape. Mongoose are the same when they are too far from their burrow.
@kaijuar2003 youve missed my point entirely. They may run to safety IF its available but not many animals their size can survive an attack from some of the animls they encounter. You have to be more trouble than you're worth. Now Im also not saying they are the only animals in the world that do that.. I feel I need to point that out lol
It's not the big guys that are scary...ichtyotitan, megalodons, livyatan.
It's the undiscovered crackheads that were living in the water with them we have to worry about.
Maybe it's like a hyena-lion dynamic, with the pilot whales bullying the orcas away from food if they outnumber them enough
It is ,orca have bigger size but pilot whales group is larger
So pilot whales are lions? (Lions steal food from hyenas more than vice versa)
@@George_M_ nah, I was thinking that the orcas were the lions. Maybe it's not the best analogy.
Orcas are like lions? But they don't even have legs
Orcas are very intelligent. The adults might not be at too much risk from pilot whales, but their young would be. It's not like they can lock them up somewhere safe while they go out hunting.
Kind of what I was thinking. However, I was think more on the lines of lions and hyena killing each others young to limit competition.
I love pilot whales, they are so goofy looking but then they open their mouth and you see their teeth and you're like... oh.
Actually not that much. You should have a look at the false killer whale’s mouth, way more terrifying !
Nothing compared to false killer whales !
Orca: *I fear no whale... but that thing... it scares me...*
Edit: wow! 630+ likes! I didn't know I'll get these high amount of likes
Thank u🙏
Pilot whale: mmpff!
@@misterfevillord1588
Meet
The
*PILOT*
@@misterfevillord1588 That's it, you're getting a thumbs up, hahaha..
Faroe Islanders: Bóghvítuhvalirnir eru bangnir fyri grindahvølunum , men vit eru teir sum grindahvalirnir skulu vera bangnir fyri
(Orcas fear the pilot whales, but we are the ones who pilot whales should be fear of)
@@sentboumaster3436 you didn’t get the joke didn’t you.
Very curious behaviour. It also shows how smart they are, knowing their strenghts and weaknesses. For example orcas knowing their numbers are inferior or the pilot whales knowing that speed and numbers help them bully an apex predator.
It’s like a grown man fighting 20 toddlers…man is going to lose 🤣🤣🤣
I was sprayed by a long fin pilot whale when I was 12 out fishing with my dad. It came so close to our little boat i could have reached out and touched it, but i didnt notice it untill it sprayed me because I was looking away. Most magical moment of my life. Pilot whales and Sperm whales are my 2 favorite animals (and coincidentally are also the 2 loudest animals)
Bro pranked you but ended up giving you a key memory instead.
Phew, at first I thought you said spayed.
Wow!
@@janebaxter841 pffft hahaha. made my day. :D
It sneezed on you and you described the moment as magical. Typical human.
Orcas: [makes sound]
Pilot whales: "Oh, they want the smoke!"
all the smoke*
Maybe they have a treaty we don’t know about
😂thats a good point actually lol
My thoughts when hearing about the young hostage pilot whale, like medieval royalty used to do to powerful nobles.
I wouldn't exclude some kind of agreements.
1 million pilot whales vs 50000 orcas left.
We know who won the war.
Could be. By respecting territorial claims, both species live in peace, mostly. Both use coordination in an attack. The casualties on both sides would cause a sickening result. As stated, both species are intelligent. Perhaps it is a recognition of sentience in each other. Could explaine why neither species hunts humans, though they are physically capable of doing so.
So, a Pilot Whale is like a Honey Badger or Giant Otter - fearless.
I suspect that these creatures, orcas and pilot whales alike, are so intelligent that they have different attitudes and behaviours towards other species. You cannot bet on all behaving the same. And I do see orcas kidnapping, as I see them adopting. Maybe it was an isolated case. As I said, they are so intellingent as to be difficult to read.
Yeah, I agree. It's hard to say how different populations/pods would react
@@wildworld6264 Perhaps we can see the similar behaviors with land mammals. I feel like there is a great deal of instictual behavior even among creatures that have mostly learned behaviors... Like behaviors we see between preditory species on land.
Female Orca comes across crying baby pilot whale separated from mother and pod, I could see it adopting it especially with them being rather similar. Can only imagine what happened when it grew up though, maybe there's pod of Orca's out there with a pilot whale too.
@@connordanby6275 maybe that's how they get the pods of orcas that don't run, a adoptive familial relationship with the pilot whales that are coming
@@connordanby6275It's not crazy at all. Orcas have adopted beluga whales before.
Orcas : we're the toughest animals in the ocean
Long fin pilot whale : Hello
*Orcas terrified screams in the distance*
I read that hello in George Takei's voice. Lol
😂😂😂😂😊
Bot comment
They aren’t actually scared of them. Orcas will kill pilot whales
I thought it was a joke at first, but after the resource, I was like wow the bully got bullied.
I don't know where you are researching.. But, if you are calling an Orca a "bully" that got "bullied".. You should check into legit peer reviewed analysis and then come back and pontificate... Orcas DO NOT get bullied ever.. That is a legitimately tested fact... They don't hunt solo either.. So, you get to f-a-f-o with a huge pod of them gunning for anything... Welcome to reality.. Don't need to be a marine biologist to figure this one out..
Dumb anthropomorphic reaction.
Love how you always cite your sources! I appreciate the thoroughness ❤️
Agreed!
Huh, I didn't know about this, but if I had to guess, I'd wager that it's a similar dynamic that lions and hyenas have, that being two social predators that have a rough overlap in prey that they consume, ergo leading to a natural tendency for aggression between the two competitors.
The video explains what the top experts think is happening but who needs that when the comments are the real expert's 💀
@@KevinAugustt
Commenters are random people( could be an expert, could be a normal citizen )
Top experts are adept practitioners in their fields
@@KevinAugustt No need to get hostile over an educated guess
@@KevinAugustt vid is just a random guy not an expert.
I am inclined to think mobbing behavior, similar to how flocks of songbirds will harass a hawk or owl.
the way i see it is that predators are looking for victims, not opponents.
if you behave like prey, they'll see you as prey and attack.
if you act like you're equal in power, many predators will just leave you alone.
That's a life hack right there 👍🏼
I see it more as hyena-lion dynamic tbh
Never thought this would even be possible
This may seem irrelevant to the topic, but man I loved the two videos on the man-eating big cats.Therefore, I humbly request you to continue the series 🙏🙏🙏
Sincerely,
Your Subscriber
@wildworld mngwa
I agree lived your man eater video
@@TimFaulkner-qb5kl If you lived they weren't true man eaters!
No problem taking out big baleen whales, jumbo sized pinnipeds, and dangerous sharks. And yet they're nervous around their own cousins... go figure 🤷🏾♂️
I mean, we've all got at least one cousin like that in the family.
At first seeing your video’s thumbail I thought it was a clickbait but it’s actually a pretty good and sober factual video.
I really appreciated it.
Thanks !
One thing they didn't mention was numbers
When I see pilot whales I seems to be a pretty significant group
High numbers of more agile smaller foes would be enough to make you turn around
Orcas are the only species that wouldn’t change at all if taken over by a “Venom” symbiote.
I wouldn't say the only species
If I’m not mistaken pilot whales really only do this to the smaller fish eating orca types. The larger orca types seem to not have this issue.
They just go: "Hello neighbor!". And start to tell the most boring travel stories.
Maybe pilot whales have some specific smart strategy for aggression that makes them a threat on top of competition for food.
Recorded Pilot Whale sounds may then help to protect yachts being attached by Orcas! Just a thought 🤔
Been here for a few years now and it's super cool to see you at 100k subs. It was pretty clear you'd get there from the beginning, you make fantastic videos.
As a born and raised Seattlelite as well as a strong Advocate for the Southern Resident Pod that lives in our waters; I can testify to the strength of love mother Orca's feel for their babes. One mother lost her babe and carried the corpse for months refusing to give up her child. The mental health of this mother Orca was a great concern Washingtonians did not ignore and prayed on every day. Not only that but when the young are threatened in the pod as many Orca's were in Washington in the 60's until the 80's. When the pods were hunted and attacked (because SeaWorld and other such places wanted captive Orca's) these Orca's knew that it was their young the humans wanted to steal. The mother's and other female would dive very deep with their young so as not to be seen. The male Orca's would stay at the surface drawing the hunters away from the females and young taking them miles in the opposite direction. They are massively intelligent, on a level most humans are unwilling to accept. Sadly as the hunts became more sophisticated helicopters were used. The spotters could tell that there were no calves at the surface with what they now know was the males. Also Orca's as truly Dolphins and not Whales can not dive as deep. Especially with small babes. Which meant the spotters from such heights were able to follow the calves and catch them. I do not see a Southern Resident Pod mother stealing another mother's child. Adopting an orphaned calf, definitely. However all Pods are different.
Im in Seattle to and whale watch a lot.
I live in Washington and wish the picky ones would learn to eat sea lions instead of only fish. Then our fruity Governor and Sideshow Bob want to breech the damns for a few whales. Sure, crash the local economy and cause more overall environmental harm 🤦🏻♂️
The case of the Orca with the Pilot whale calf is an example of a classic human trait where a hostage is given to ensure they don’t attack? Truly fascinating stuff. Also, it makes sense the Orca would be protecting it since it’s their insurance policy against Pilot Whale aggression?
haven't thought of it like that lol.. interesting for sure
yea this kind of interaction suggests that marine mammals might have more nuanced social strategies than previously understood.
Humans have generally severely downplayed the intelligence of animals in history.
And even now people refuse to believe stuff like chimpanzees having better short term memory than humans.
I doubt this is why the Orca was protecting the Pilot calf. I think its just the unique personality of that particular Orca. Its also a Dolphin species and Dolphins are known to interact, bond, befriend other Dolphin species.
This seems pretty unlikely. I would bet the female orca lost her own baby, and given that baby pilot whales are close to the same size and shape of baby orcas, her maternal instincts imprinted on the baby pilot whale. Interspecies adoption isn't uncommon in the animal kingdom, especially among female mammals who have recently lost their own offspring.
My man, with another video! My most favorite “yet undiscovered” channel! Love your videos!
Glad you like them!
Nice to see you only speculated within the data, rather than making up an answer to the question. Responsible coverage!
Great content. Thanks for digging through the research to present us this video.
Shamu: How are you enjoying the party?
Willy: Its great, plenty of seals to torture, just got back from rip the liver out of the shark, but the squid buffet was empty.
Shamu: Empty? I just filled it, and its not exactly a favorite among our kind. Wha-
Pilate: HI GUYS GREAT PARTY
Shamu: ... of course.
Pilate: HAHA HEY GUYS ITS ME PILATE. REMEMBER?
Willy: Yes, we remember, its funny because-
Pilate: I WASH MY FINS OF THIS HAHA THAT'S REAL FUNNY RIGHT? LAYERS TO THAT JOKE.
Shamu: We know. You've... you've explained the joke every time we've met-
Pilate: BECAUSE PILATE? PILOT WHALE? HAHA GET IT?
Willy: YES.
Shamu: WE GET IT.
Pilate: HAHAHA AND THEN I WASH MY-
Willy: Like Pontius Pilate
Pilate: RIGHT? AND THEY'RE ALREADY IN THE WATER HAHA I AM ALWAYS WASHING THEM HAHAHAHA
Shamu: You're alone, right? You didn't bring any of your friends right? We could salvage the evening.
Pilate: OH NO I CALLED MY WHOLE POD OVER THE SECOND I FOUND THE PARTY HAHA WEIRD HOW YOU DIDN'T INVITE ANY OF US
Willy: Anyway I gotta go beach myself bye
Shamu: No no no Willy wait we can... argh!
Pilate: HEY WHERE'S EVERYBODY GOING? WAIT UP! CAN YOU BABY SIT MY KID?
Humans observing: The orcas are afraid of the pilot whales
I cannot stop laughing at this. They are such little shits….they are like the hood crackheads 🤣🤣🤣
The pilot whale every time an orca call is heard:
*wee woo wee woo*
*beep boop beep boop beep boop beep boop*
"Over G, Roll Left"
"Over G, Roll Right"
*eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*
"Lock"
Technically they would use HEAT instead of RDR missiles
@@mrcat5508 Technically, they are whales and this is a funny analogy bit.
@@brilobox2 technically, they are PILOT whales and funny is subjective
If it’s simply avoidance without ever witnessing a fight, it might not be fear but disgust.
Pilot whales: hear that guys? Or Orca brothers are nearby, let us spread word of our lord and savior Poseidon.
Orcas: oh crap, not these guys again….
There is precedent for what one might call “generational beef”. You know some African herbivores are ON SIGHT with Lions, attacking them ruthlessly and preemptively. It may be a social behaviour that’s just evolved over time, group-behaviour. Pilot Whales just gradually learned they can bully Orcas away and Orcas learned from each other that other toothed whales aggressive towards them and close to their size aren’t worth the trouble.
There is also precedent for mobbing behaviour, such as with seals grouping up and harassing Great Whites hunting them, and while the shark could take the chance to snatch one, having a dozen pinnipeds with sharp teeth biting you isn’t worth it for a meal and so even the modestly intelligent whites back off. For pilot whales it makes sense with Orcas because they are certainly big enough to effectively harass and threaten Orcas, as well as being social enough to know to mob them regularly.
Might be similar to Lions and Hyenas?
Could be the pilot whales song is a natural orca deterrent.
What a great video, and a great channel. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Subbed. Thanks 👍🏻🇺🇸
Awesome, thank you!
At I think age 4 I was gifted a running subscription to WDCS and I remember years ago when little paragraphs about this stated appearing! It seems like it’s going to be the next big topic till something new about great whites/orca/spinosaurus comes along!
Pilot whales are so socially bonded they are notorious for mass standings and will follow each other well past the point where sense and fear should make them leave, sadly makes them idea candidates of drive hunts 😞
I have wondered if pilot whales ever do any bat signal type behaviours between pods and if this could be a reason Orca will leave an area, don’t what 20 pilots to turn into 100! But just speculation.
Grata vid Thomas 👌
Eeexcelleeent video! I love learning about animals that stand up to orca. I read about rhe relationship between orca and pilot whales but it's so niche it's hard to find material that covers that topic. So thank you for your evidence-based summary of the peculiar relationship between these two dophin species. 💯✅
im curious as to whether or not they tried to see how pilot whales react to the sounds of orcas that specialize in hunting mammals aka whale and other dolphins to see if the pilot whales react in the same or a different way similar to how they tested different eco type orca sounds on sharks and found that the sharks will actually ignore orca sounds from eco type that don't hunt sharks or ones that don't exist in here area but as soon as they started playing the sounds of the eco type(s) that are known shark hunters that exist in there area the sharks would flee the area and/or dive to deep depths to hide, that same test would let us now if pilot whales treat all orcas the same or just act aggressively to the squid and fish eating ecotypes but avoid/run from the mammal/dolphin hunting ones that are known to prey on other dolphins.
Pilot Whales have been observed charging at (and scaring off) marine mammal eating Orcas here in Australia, so it's not a uniquely food-driven response on either party, though that may still play a role in some cases.
I assume one reason in general for whales of different species to avoid one another is their differing "languages." It may become exceptionally difficult for them to coordinate a hunt with another pod of a different species also doing their thing nearby.
Elimination of competition. Just like lions vs hyenas or hyenas vs wild dogs. When prey is abundant there is no reason to risk an injury unless the odds are overwhelmingly in one's group favor. When prey is scarce they'll go after each others throat.
Were the orcas in question transient or regional? Do the pilot whales bully just the regional killer whales who feed on fish or/and the transients who eat marine mammals. This could help explain the reason if the pilot whales were looking for food or just bullying
This behaviour occurs across multiple populations of Pilot Whales, towards multiple populations of Killer Whales, with absolutely zero regard to the prey type preferred by the Killer Whales. They do it here in Australia, for example. Pilot Whales have charged at and scared off Killer Whales in Bremer Bay, and those guys are very much marine mammal eaters, in fact, they seem to specialise on Beaked Whales, which are approximately Pilot Whale sized. The Pilots don't care though. They've charged at the Orcas when they've been literally in the middle of killing a Beaked Whale.
I've been saying this in UA-cam for a while and ppl were laughing. Thx for exposing the truth. Nature has its own way with checks and balances.
Yes! I love orca videos! I'm about to have lunch while watching it 😎
Btw, idk if you read my comment on the last video, but it would be awesome if you made a Tortoise-related video! Maybe include it on a list of some sorts, it would be perfect! I love tortoises 🐢💙
Maybe on a list of the animals who live for a long time? 😮🤔
Sorry, I think I missed that comment. A 'How Long do they live' or something along those lines for a tortoise sounds like a cool idea
I actually didn't know there were 2 types of pilot whales. Very interesting creatures it seems. Perhaps is more display then threat? Maybe a prehistoric rivalry? Perhaps it's like that pissed off neighbor. Definitely need to look into this one more. Really interesting and great video man!
The earth is young!!! If the entire earth was made from carbon 14 it would completely disappear in less than a million years so that proves that the earth is not even close to a million years old!!!!
Amber alert: pilot calf abducted by female Orca.
I love your videos so much, it's one of (if not) the best channel for fascinating science stuff but I'd definitely almost every other marine mammal to be scared shitless after they suddenly hear orcas calls, they are the wolves of the sea but they have a third dimension they can attack you from.. horrifying. I'm sure they prefer weak or old whales but as long as enough of them are together I think they can take down every single one. There's a whole pod of these killing machines, I think these pilot whales came because they thought the orcas found an excellent school of fish and it's worked out for the ones in this study at least once and for all I know this running towards it part could all be based on a single pair.
The Orca population around Iceland feeds mainly on herring though
great video
Thanks!
thank you.
Perhaps their calls evolved to resemble that of an extinct whale that orcas struggled with. Livyatan, perhaps?
An interesting fact about Orca behavior that might play into this is that female Orcas will gang up on the larger, slower & less agile males to keep them at the fringes of the pod. There has been cases in captivity where there's limited space where females have seriously injured & even killed males because of this. This shows in the Orca world might doesn't make right, as speed, agility & group size is far more important in altercations. What I'm getting at here is this, the fact Pilot Whales are faster & more agile they can out maneuver the larger Orcas like how the females of the latter do with the males...
And from what I can find, both species are very closely related both belonging to the subfamily (Globicephalinae) so they can have a lot of shared social behavior. In short, this can all play a factor in the two species interactions...
Very interesting. Thanks for the info
This is called pure educational content with proper research and also don't jump on to conclusion. Orca and sperm whales are my favorite and I am really shocked to know orca back down on smaller sized pilot whales.
Everyone's got a plan before you get punched in the face - lil big Mike tyson
Maybe they're like crows mobbing predators like hawks
I have seen crows mobbing an owl while I was deer hunting right around sunup.
There is so much to learn about our planet. New subsciber. ❤
This is tribe behaviour, House of Orcas vs House of Pilots
It would be interesting to play Long Finned Pilot Whale Sounds near The Strait of Gibraltar through an underwater speaker to ward off Orca from attacking sailboats.
Also worth mentioning that pilot whales are faster than orcas and tend to have much larger pods.
Very cool info. The multiple ideas of why pilot whales behave as they do were new to me..The scenario of a killer whale caring for a young pilot whale also was news............
Loving your videos!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!
Im super pumped you said they are both dolphins... people think im crazy when i tell them that
Fascinating thanks a lot.
Pilot whale pods are 25 %bigger on average, and long fin pods live year round in close proximity to more pods and will band together readily ,orcas do similar but only sesonally ,so weight of numbers could well be a factor.
Title should be why pilot whales annoy orca. An orca would make light work of a pilot whale if it felt threatened enough.
Hey there, i've got two "cryptid" sugestions for you: the Iriomote leopard (Yamapikaryaa, not the small Iriomote cat), and the Fjordland moose in New Zealand.
Reading some of the comments people refuse to believe this happens
Abduction or kidnap 😂😂😂😂😂 oh my goodness. That sounds so crazy for the orca to methodically plan out a kidnapping. I could see the whales having their own amber alert system
Alternative theory.
Pilot whale: HEY! I'm coming to see you man, been ages, how you doin, how's little Benny, ya lookin after him? Is that herring, ya got herring? Let's catch up, let's do lunch ya know, bada bing bada boom A A A A!
Orca: *mumbles* Oh jesus christ it's the cousins. Oh my look at the time, must be going!
to me it seems that option 1 has not at all been ruled out by the limited findings and documented encounters yet. at least it's the first thing i thought of - very much like hyenas can be a major nuisance to lions and challenge them for prey.
Well done.
Any interest in covering the slightly smaller Pseudorca crassidens?
I wonder if playing Pilot Whale sounds can keep orcas away from the ships they have been attacking?
That was really interesting, thanks
The Orcas are just annoyed by the presence or smell of the Pilot Whales 😂
There are no smells in water
None that mammals can pick up on anyway
My hunch is that this was a strategy they developed over time. If Orcas are close, charge at them and make sure you a) are not worth messing with and b) can keep them away from food you wanba have
Interesting, wasn't aware of this, but it makes sense..
Babe wake up, new Wild World video just dropped
I was hoping to see some interaction where they both don't back down
When we know this little about animals we're extremely familiar with it gives you a sense of how very little we know about the ocean and it's creatures.
A pod of pilot whales tried to end themselves at my beach a few years ago. They all followed a wounded pod member ashore. The wounded whale had a sizable bite taken out of it and did not survive.
Lucky for the rest of them they beached on an incoming tide in daylight otherwise it would have been a mass stranding at night and they would have been high and dry.
People mobilized and we managed to push/ drag them back out to deeper water.
The pod swam down the beach about 700 yards and attempted scuicide again.
Once more people rallied and pushed them back out in a seaward direction.
They again swam parralell to the beach and tried to beach themselves. Again we pushed them out and they ended up in the shipping channel. People in boats finally drove them out to sea by harrassing them with loud banging on hulls and other noises.
Pilot whales aint the sharpest whales in the shed.
I opened this video because I am amazed since I've always believed that the orcas were the most feared in the ocean.
You can't mess with numbers
That’s an amazing defense - likely evolved over millions of years between these oceanic dolphin species. Run from the orca and they can have their pick - the pilot whales are big enough to present a threat, and charging the whales gives them no choice but to run.
Killer whales are extremely smart and typically risk averse, they don’t injure themselves for free.
Got that scaring the sea wolves energy.
Wow if you could talk more about the orca abducting other calves I would be intrested
If orcas really do flee at the sound of pilot whales, yachts being harassed by orcas should try playing the recordings to see if it has any effect on that specific pod.
Probably a risk vs reward issue for the orcas.
In the animal kingdom, it’s the numbers game not just size.
Thanks for the facts on this interesting topic. 👍
Sooooo, they'll be mandating recordings of them on yachts to scare Orca's away?
Maybe they understand each others language or there is overlap in the calls and the researchers didn't understand what they where playing.
Orcas taking the strongest: no one can beat us 🥸
Long fan pilot Wheels: NAH I'd win😈
Good question - after watching this, still don´t know the answer.
More study needed, apparently. If this script couldn't use "perhaps" and "maybe," then there would be no descriptions at all!
Although I cannot find any videos or photos of this, I do remember hearing from other wildlife channels that Pilot Whales actively hunting Orcas. Pilot Whale pods seem to have more members, than Orca pods, giving them an advantage in fights. Also, there were reports (on the same channel so take this with a grain of salt) of pods of Sperm Whale pods chasing a pod of Orca, though again, I am unable to locate any videos or photos of these events. I would love to see if anyone has ever witnessed these events, and if they managed to record said events on either video or photo
That was so interesting, not conclusive but seems likely.
Can you make a similar video with false killer whales beefing with orcas!
Maybe they can communicate and pilot whales told them they would use numbers to target them if Orca targets them.