#TrumpBitcoinEmpire 🐳 Humpback whales have been observed rescuing other animals from orcas in over 100 documented cases.
Experts still don't know why, as they seem to gain nothing from it.
In a surprising display of altruism between species, humpback whales have been repeatedly observed rushing to the defense of animals under attack from orcas, sometimes even risking their own safety to protect seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals.
A review of over 100 interactions, published in Marine Mammal Science, confirms that this behavior is not a coincidence. While it is known that humpbacks fiercely protect their own calves from orca attacks, they also intervene when unrelated species are under threat. In some cases, individual humpback whales have even taken on orca pods to disrupt an attack.
Why would a humpback whale interfere in a conflict that does not directly involve its own species? One theory suggests that the behavior evolved as a form of preventive defense—by intervening whenever orcas are hunting, humpback whales may improve the odds of protecting their own calves, which often return to the same feeding grounds year after year. The result: sometimes their bold actions end up saving other species as well. With their immense size, five-meter flexible fins, and little to fear from orcas, humpbacks may be uniquely and surprisingly motivated to act as ocean guardians.
Source: Pitman, R. L. et al. (2016). Humpback whales interfere when mammal-eating killer whales attack other species: Movement behavior and interspecific altruism? Marine Mammal Science.
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