science π Humpback whales stop orcas to save other species
A pod of orcas was hunting a Weddell seal in Antarctica when a pair of humpback whales intervened. Researchers documented 115 interactions over 62 years between 1951 and 2012 across various ocean basins. The humpbacks actively interrupted hunts on ten different species, which were not humpbacks themselves. They traveled up to two kilometers, bellowed, and even tail-slashed the aggressive killer whales. Scientists suggest this simple rule may have evolved to defend humpback calves against predators. π