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Killer Whales Working Together to Hunt Seals on Ice | BBC Earth

BBC Earth · 2.8M views · 2017-08-24 · 4:52

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Overview

BBC Earth shows killer whales working as a pod to create waves that wash seals off ice floes, with the producer explaining how the crew captured behavior once thought a myth.

On Hacker News

Cited as a striking example of coordinated hunting and intelligence in orcas.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2017–2021

Topics

Animals & nature
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orcasanimal behaviorcooperative huntingbbc earthantarctica

What people said

telesilla · 2021-07 · Reference

Orca gang together to generate large waves in unison to wash off waiting penguins and seals from ice floes: [VIDEO] . Likely they do other premeditated hunting too. A recent discussion of grandmothers show we also share menopause with Orca (and pilot whales, who also hunt in groups and also very closely related to Orca) so it might be these are the only other species that come close to us, culturally.

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Tistel · 2019-12 · Reference

Orcas working in teams to knock seals off an iceberg with waves: [VIDEO] So what can we conclude? Super smart, organized and no love for other mammals. I am amazed they only seem to go after humans in the sea world type scenario (film: Blackfish, shows the madness it induces in such animals). I don’t know of any attacks on surfers. Which seems odd. They would be so scary to swim near.

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dylan604 · 2019-12 · Criticism

> Orcas working in teams to knock seals off an iceberg with waves: [VIDEO] At the end of that clip, she gets so excited about seeing something that "no one had seen before", yet at the beginning, she talks about them hoping to see this because of reports of it happening. Huh? Contradict yourself much? I hate these overly dramatic reality type documentaries. Otherwise, some great footage, and could have been so much better without the overly produced interview.

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Sources

Video by BBC Earth, played through YouTube.

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