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Something weird is happening in the ocean. As Australia's east coast gets ready for the annual migration of whales to warmer northern waters, on the other side of the world, killer whales - or orcas - are causing havoc around Spain and Portugal.
They're attacking small boats, causing headaches for maritime authorities and leaving scientists scratching their heads. Last Thursday a group of orcas rammed and disabled a yacht off the coast of Spain, the latest of dozens of attacks this year.
The Iberian orcas began targeting small vessels in 2020. Since then more than 500 "interactions" have been recorded - not all have been attacks but many have and it's mainly the rudders of boats which are targeted. No one knows why it's happening but there are a couple of theories.
Orcas are highly intelligent members of the dolphin family and, like their smaller cousins, they are playful as juveniles. One theory is that juveniles in this population have made a game of attacking or shadowing small vessels and have taught others to do the same. Another theory suggests one of the older orcas may have had an unpleasant experience with a vessel - perhaps becoming entangled in a fishing net - and has come to regard all small boats as threats.
Whatever the reason for the attacks, it has authorities worried. The Spanish Transport Ministry has issued a guideline that whenever ships observe any alteration in the behaviour of orcas - including sudden changes of direction or speed - they should leave the area as soon as possible. Every encounter must be reported to authorities.
A fascinating article in Scientific American quotes one scientist as saying the strange behaviour seems to be learned and that it could even be a passing fad. It went on: "Famously, some members of the Southern Resident orcas that cruise Washington's Puget Sound each summer and fall spent the summer of 1987 wearing dead salmon on their head. There was no apparent reason for salmon hats to come in vogue in orca circles, but the behavior spread and persisted for a few months before disappearing again."
Having observed dolphins while kayaking and paddling - and having photographed them from a drone - these creatures not only seem playful but appear to have a keen a sense of humour as well, although that could be us anthropomorphising. One we encountered regularly, we named Bob, because it made a habit of bobbing up out of the water a couple of metres away to check us out. And I'll never forget the day we watched a pod of dolphins launching themselves into the air like missiles - over and over again.
We're yet to see any wearing salmon hats but, believe me, you'll be first to know should that happen.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will you be whale watching this winter? What's the strangest animal behaviour you've observed? Any theories about the Spanish orcas and their disdain for small vessels? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Cost-of-living pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic have upended the priorities of young Australians. A survey of 2511 Aussies found having a dream home was less of a priority than having an ideal lifestyle.
- The head of an inquiry says it is clear "something has to be done" after a senior police officer blamed the ACT's top prosecutor for the "blurred lines" that have left investigators confused about when to charge suspects. Walter Sofronoff KC spoke of the need for clarity on Friday after Joanne Cameron, an acting Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner, weighed in on the issue at an inquiry into the Bruce Lehrmann case.
- Australian songwriter and musician Joy McKean, wife of the late Slim Dusty, has died aged 93. Ms McKean's family has confirmed she died peacefully on May 25 following a long battle with cancer.
THEY SAID IT: "My clients are the whales and the seals." - Paul Watson
YOU SAID IT: More respect and less condescension - we owe it to our old people, argued Garry.
Graham says: "I am a member of a Men's Shed. The shed movement's aims are to dispel the illusion of 'past it' to retired workers of all skills levels, coupled with better men's health. I have a 96-year-old mate (I'm an 82-year-old whippersnapper) who still enjoys wood turning at another shed, and we even had a retired MD as a member. After seeing so many retired workers dead two years after retiring because of enforced idleness, I applaud the Men's Sheds for giving retirees a purpose in life. There's no need to drop the bundle after 65 - and we're proving it!"
"I would have thought that an aged care royal commission coupled with the COVID outbreaks in for-profit nursing homes in NSW and Victoria would have smartened this sector up," says George. "Recent experience with one of the best nursing homes in Victoria around end of life and when that process should begin was galling at best. How bad are the worst?"
Deb says: "Older people are only given value in our society if they do things that would usually be done by younger people, like a 90-year-old running a marathon. A 90-year-old playing cards or knitting would be regarded as worthless. This reflects society's view that people have to buy their right to live on earth. Rupert Murdoch would be seen as much more worthy of a place on the planet than a nursing home resident because he is overseeing a business empire."