Early last summer, a group of orcas attacked several boats just off the coast of Spain. The whales rammed the vessels, nudging and biting their rudders underwater until the steering mechanisms were destroyed. It wasn’t the first time orcas in this area had gotten aggressive with boats. Their unusual behavior began in 2020. Since then, hundreds of similar encounters have been reported.
Some scientists theorize that this population started behaving aggressively after one of the whales in the group was injured by a boat. However, other scientists think the orcas are just being playful or curious. Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute, believes the whales push on the rudders because they’re fascinated by their movement.
For the orcas, this may be more like a game they teach each other. In other parts of the world, orcas also play with objects in their environment. For example, orcas near Washington State like to drag floating crab traps through the water.