Several hunts and prey-sharing events among different Bigg's killer whale matrilines

Throughout this month's fieldwork in Puget Sound with the Center for Whale Research we've had the opportunity to witness several hunts and prey-sharing events among different Bigg's killer whale matrilines. While the conventional wisdom is that they vocalize more often during and after hunts, they have for the been completely silent during the events we saw! This is interesting in and of itself, but we were also keen to get hydrophone recordings of orca vocalizations while observing Bigg's via drone.

We had success in that effort for the first time earlier this week, and the behavior it accompanied wasn't traditional hunting but rather stalking sea birds. Members of the T36s and T137s along with T99B were going after common loons and surf scoters in Murden Cove off Bainbridge Island. You can see in this still image from the drone footage how shallow the water was: the trio of whales on the right is kicking up mud with their flukes! On the left, one whale has broken away from the group to sneak up on an unsuspecting group of birds.

It's thought that Bigg's killer whales use birds for target practice to hone their hunting skills or for play.