"Notably, the first whale taken appeared to be a healthy adult." "Here we provide the first documentation of killer whales killing and eating blue whales: two individuals killed, 16 days apart in 2019, and a third in 2021," the researchers wrote in the paper. The report includes details of how the killer whales swam inside the mouth of the enormous whales to eat their nutritionally rich tongue just before they died. The attacks were recorded by marine scientists from Cetrec WA (Cetacean Research). The report documented the first recorded observations of a pod of orcas - also known as killer whales - attacking blue whales off the coast of Western Australia. The debate was finally settled in a report published in Marine Mammal Science in 2022. However, the scientific community has long debated whether orcas can hunt blue whales, the largest animal on the planet. They'll hunt virtually anything from great white sharks to boats, throwing yachts around like rag dolls. Orcas aren't the largest animal in the sea but they're certainly one of the smartest, making them the ocean's apex predator. "This is the biggest predation event on this planet," a marine scientist said. Orcas were observed devouring the nutrient-rich tongues of the giant blue whales. Elliott Hazen under NOAA/NMFS permit 16111Ī study from Australia is the first to scientifically document blue whales' killings by orcas. Researchers approach a blue whale to attach a suction-cup tag.
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