Orcas Ramp Up Boat Ramming Behavior in Recent Encounters.

Orcas living in the waters around the Iberian Peninsula have developed a new behaviour of chasing sailboats and breaking their rudders, which has baffled scientists and sailors. The orcas appear to be playing a risky game, pushing the rudders with their noses until they break. The phenomenon has been spreading, with 207 interactions reported in 2022, up from 52 in 2020. Scientists are still trying to understand the motivation behind this behaviour, with two hypotheses being the "fun or fashion hypothesis" and the "trauma hypothesis". There is no sure-fire way of preventing or shortening the interactions, but sailors are advised to avoid the areas where the orcas are and to leave the area quickly if they encounter them.