3 Killer Whales Attack Dutch Yacht, Hit the Rudders While Sailors Compete for 2023 Ocean Race

Orcas are on it again! Three killer whales were caught on camera attacking a yacht competing in the 2023 Ocean Race.

Killer Whales Attack a Dutch Yacht

On June 22, team JAJO was sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar as part of the 2023 Ocean Race. While sailing, a pod of three orcas surrounded them.

In the video obtained by Daily Star, the orcas circle the boat before ramming into it. The sailors attempted to scare them away by banging the hull. However, the move only antagonized the killer whales, and they bit the rudders.

HJelmer van Beek, Team JAJO skipper, told Associated Press it was a "scary moment" for the crew. The orcas reportedly came straight to them and started hitting the rudders.

He added that it was impressive to watch the orcas, which are stunning animals, but it was also a risky time for our team.

When the event occurred, Team JAJO was in second position in the VO65 class in the Ocean Race. However, after dealing with the orcas, they fell to fourth place.

The team made it up as they moved to second place again before the day concluded and as the race moved into its last leg. Team JAJO currently has nine points and sits next to WindWhisperRacing Team with 12 points.

The Ocean Race, an annual yacht race that lasts six months and covers 32,000 nautical miles, passes through nine different countries. It was first held in 1973.

This year, the competition kicked off in Alicante, Spain, and will conclude in Genova, Italy, at the end of June.

Do Orcas Teach Each Other to Sink Boats?

There have been multiple reports of orcas banging boats in an attempt to capsize them. In a previous report from Science Times, Dr. Luke Rendell, who studies marine mammals' behavior, learning, and communication at the University of St. Andrews, weighed in on the mammals' behavior.

Since it helped the whales live in their ecosystem, he thought it was something unlikely to have evolved. He continued by saying that, contrary to what is meant when a quality is described as adaptable, there aren't any evident fitness-enhancing incentives, such as food. When anything directly facilitates an animal's capacity to find food, mate, or have offspring, they believe it to be adaptive.

If there is an adaptive reason, he noted, it is unlikely; instead, he thinks it has to do with how curiosity sometimes leads to important developments regarding food sources that could be shared.

Rendell said there had been numerous accounts of orcas behaving strangely and in ways that don't appear to be adaptive.

There is no proof, but convincing sea lions that you are a fellow sea lion rather than a vicious predator may have adaptive benefits. These actions span from one group loudly imitating sea lions to another carrying dead salmon on their heads, which proved to be a passing trend.

Rendell stated that the beginning and spread of these boat attacks now fit the characteristics of a "temporary fad," adding that he was unsure how long it would last.

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