These events, described in a paper published last week in the journal Marine Mammal Science, have put to rest a longstanding debate among scientists about whether or not orcas could make a meal out of an adult blue whale.Īccording to the Eden Killer Whale Museum, "In the early years of Eden whaling in the 1840s there were reportedly around 50 killers spread through 3 main pods. The attack was the first of three such events that were witnessed from 2019 through 2021. This was the first time that orcas had been observed successfully killing and eating an adult blue whale. But, they typically go after calves and not adults.
Orcas, also known as killer whales despite being members of the same family as dolphins, are apex predators who are known to feed on nearly every species of large whale. It took an hour for the orcas to kill the blue whale, and once they did, about 50 other orcas showed up to devour the carcass.
The scientists observed one orca force its way into the blue whale's mouth and feast on its tongue. The water ran red with the blood of the massive creature, and chunks of its flesh were floating all around. They had already bitten off its dorsal fin, and the animal was unable to evade the fast and agile predators.
Over a dozen orcas surrounded the mighty animal. In March 2019, scientists studying whales near Southwestern Australia stumbled upon a supersize spectacle that few had seen before - a pod of orcas viciously attacking a blue whale.
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