Science & technology | Killers’ tactics

Killer whales deploy brutal, co-ordinated attacks when hunting

Their techniques are passed down through the generations

A killer whale hunting a bottlenose dolphin that was jumping in the air
Flippin’ heck!Photograph: Rex Shutterstock

The killer whales that roam the waters of the Monterey Submarine Canyon, off the coast of California, are brutal animals. When hunting grey whales, they target mother and calf pairs, chasing them until the calves begin to tire. At that point the killer whales separate the grey whales by manoeuvring between them or dragging the calves away by their tail flukes or fins. Once a calf is separated from its mother, the killer whales incapacitate it by bludgeoning it with their heads and tails before drowning it by leaping atop its blowhole to keep it below the surface.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Killers’ tactics”

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