Posted on by Matt Gilligan

A Study Found That Great White Sharks Are Scared of Killer Whales

Sharks are pretty fearsome creatures – plenty of people are pretty scared of them. So you might not imagine that even one of the largest, fiercest predators in the world fears something else.

And no, it’s not human beings (though with the rate we’re demolishing the shark population, it probably should be – we kill between 100 million and 273 million).

According to new research published in Scientific Reports, the great whites off the Northern California coast turn tail when a pod of orcas show up – and then they avoid the area for up to a year afterward, says scientist Scot Anderson in a statement.

“These are huge white sharks. Some are over 18 feet long, and they usually rule the roost here.”

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Quero que assista esses dois vídeos e sinta a vibração depois, feche os olhos se puder, ouça os sons de cada um deles. Quando estão livres, consegue sentir a energia? Se conecte com o som, com o sonar. Por trás das risadas do segundo vídeo, consegue sentir? Existe um ser senciente, que de assassino não tem nada. Muitos não sabem, mas o filme que deu origem a esse nome, baleia, orcas são golfinhos, e assassina, é sobre uma orca que busca vingança dos pescadores que matam sua família. Sentem. Tem família. Se reconhecem. Sim. Mas vingança não. São seres evoluídos, desenvolvidos e infelizmente por isso foram colocados em tanques de cloro e sabem que se não fizerem o que comandam não irão se alimentar. Isso é ser? Não há ser em ser humano. E pessoas ainda continuam visitando, continuam rindo, mais lugares como esse são abertos. Pesquisa? Sim eles têm muitos dados, mas temos outro caminho e esse, eu não escolho. Fale por eles. Compartilhe 💙 #Tilikum #SaveOrcas #WildAndFree #EmptyTheTanks

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Every September and December, great white sharks migrate to the Farallon islands to hunt elephant seals – a meal that orcas also enjoy. And when the latter decide to show up for dinner, the former decline to share hunting grounds.

“When confronted by orcas, white sharks will immediately vacate their preferred hunting ground and will not return for up to a year, even though the orcas are only passing through,” confirms Dr. Salvador Jorgnsen, a scientist at Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the lead author of the study.

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Morbidity and Mortality of Orcas Living in Captivity: Causes of Illness and Death (Part 6) – A 1979 review of the causes of death of 17 captive orcas in North America who had died since 1965 revealed that infectious diseases were the primary cause of death. Published statements and records from the US National Marine Mammal Inventory and USDA Inspection Reports demonstrate that, between 1971 and 2017, there have been 35 documented orca deaths at SeaWorld facilities alone. Regarding the causes of death, the most commonly implicated conditions were viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, gastrointestinal disease, and trauma. Despite “world class" veterinary care and therapeutic intervention, at least 15 of the 22 orcas who have died in US marine theme parks between 1990 and 2010 succumbed to infectious and inflammatory diseases, including eight who reportedly died of pneumonia; three of encephalitis; three of bacteremia; and one of leptomeningitis. – Many of the infections captive orcas succumb to are opportunistic infections – infections by pathogens that are usually harmless but can cause disease under certain unnatural, unhealthy, or compromised conditions. These include a weakened immune system, chronic exposure to chemical irritants or trauma to the skin, excessive or improper use of antimicrobials, and an imbalance in the microbiota of the body or environment (which may exist in tanks). Jett and Ventre found that another common cause of death of captive orcas was gastrointestinal ulceration. Gastric ulceration is typically caused by prolonged stress, as well as being associated with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Gastric disorders such as ulcers have also been associated with behavioral stereotypies in other captive animals. – Although unreported – and unlikely, due to their kinetic nature and time spent below the surface – in free-ranging orca populations, mosquito-transmitted diseases have killed at least two captive orcas in marine theme parks. – Continued Below “The Harmful Effects of Captivity and Chronic Stress on the Well-Being of Orcas” edited by @cetacean.inspiration

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Everyone is afraid of something, I suppose, and from what I know of orcas, I wouldn’t be hanging around while they were eating, either!

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