Orca interactions – Danger in the Strait of Gibraltar | DW Documentary
Since 2020, reports have increased of boats being rammed by orcas along the European Atlantic coast. The whales make a beeline for the hulls and rudders. Researchers are trying to find out why. It is curiosity? Competition for food? Or maybe they’re just playing?
In the oceans of the world that are their realm, orcas have no natural predators. The highly developed marine mammals move in close social structures and are unmistakable due to the white spots behind their eyes. Also known as killer whales, they have a prominent triangle-shaped dorsal fin.
Since the end of the first coronavirus lockdown in May 2020, an Atlantic orca population has been ramming sailing boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, off the Iberian Peninsula and up into the Bay of Biscay off the French coast. The animals follow the boats and ram the rudders until they are destroyed.
There are several theories explaining the phenomenon. Among them, the idea that this behavior is learned and spread through imitation within the pod. Experts call the encounters “interactions” and no humans have been harmed so far.
In other regions of the world, other new behaviors have been observed in some orca populations. Orcas are sociable and intelligent animals. Sometimes, they are obviously trying out new things, like techniques for hunting.
Researchers largely agree that the Gibraltar killer whales are under severe stress. There’s heavy marine traffic in the strait and along the entire Iberian coast. Humans and animals compete for tuna, and noise pollution is high.
The documentary hears from researchers, scientists and the boat crews themselves, about the unusual behavior of these animals.
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Video “Orca interactions – Danger in the Strait of Gibraltar | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 06/04/2025 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.