"Discovery of New Population of Shark-Hunting Orcas in Northeastern Pacific"
TL;DR Summary
Researchers from the UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries suggest that a group of 49 orcas observed hunting marine mammals in the open ocean off California and Oregon could represent a new population of killer whales. These orcas, distinguishable by cookie-cutter shark bite scars and physical differences from known ecotypes, have been encountered multiple times from 1997 to 2021. The researchers hope to gather more data, including acoustic and genetic information, to further investigate the unique characteristics of this potential new population.
Topics:science#biology-and-ecology#killer-whales#marine-mammals#orcas#pacific-ocean#population-study
- Shark-bitten orcas in the Northeastern Pacific could be a new population of killer whale Phys.org
- UBC researchers think they've found a new population of killer whales in the Northeastern Pacific The Globe and Mail
- Orcas that hunt the world’s biggest predators may be a new population, say UBC scientists Vancouver Sun
- Killer whales seen hunting sharks may be a new population Earth.com
- Orcas that hunt the world's biggest predators may be a new population, say scientists MSN
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