Some scientists couldn’t believe their eyes when they witnessed an epic battle off the coast of Australia in late March. They followed a group of orcas who were looking for food, but suddenly stopped their hunt to focus on five sperm whales. “Very rare, because both whales are predators and usually leave each other alone,” said biologist Jennah Tucker. “But suddenly a large, blood-red bubble rose to the surface.”
The scientists were sailing about 70 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia through an area known as Bremer Canyon when they spotted the clash between the two whales. “We all expected to see a long, slender body of a mouthed whale,” he said. “But our jaws dropped when we noticed the unmistakable curved back and jaw of sperm whales.”
The orcas surrounded the large whales, who defended themselves against the attack. “The sperm whales looked tired and panicky,” says Jennah. “They beat their tails and showed the orcas their sharp teeth in their powerful lower jaws.” A battle between sperm whales and orcas is very rare and has only been filmed a handful of times, the biologist said.
Scientists assumed that orcas were a size too small for sperm whales because of their size, strong jaw, sharp teeth and temperament. “But I did see an orca swimming away with a piece of meat in its mouth, but I can’t say for sure whether it came from one of the sperm whales,” said Jennah, who could not clearly see who won the battle. “But suddenly a big red bubble rose to the surface, which I thought was blood.”
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