The question is picky. Orcas have killed humans, sure… in captivity! They may get neurotic in closed environment. Humans do it! Of the very few confirmed attacks on humans by wild killer whales, none have been fatal (see Killer whale - Wikipedia)
But you have wanted to make a different question, like Why don't wild orcas attack humans?
In the wild, they dont. There are several explanations on that.
The most common is that they do not recognized humans as regular source of food. In fact, there are too few humans diving where they live.
Second, differently from sharks, they are very intelligent and
The question is picky. Orcas have killed humans, sure… in captivity! They may get neurotic in closed environment. Humans do it! Of the very few confirmed attacks on humans by wild killer whales, none have been fatal (see Killer whale - Wikipedia)
But you have wanted to make a different question, like Why don't wild orcas attack humans?
In the wild, they dont. There are several explanations on that.
The most common is that they do not recognized humans as regular source of food. In fact, there are too few humans diving where they live.
Second, differently from sharks, they are very intelligent and to not need to bite us to know we are not seals. They have good vision and “superpowers”, like echo-location that can “see” upfront that a human is not a fish or marine mammal.
I would bet they can “scan” us and notice we do not have the fat proportion to make us a good meal.
Sources:
Why Killer Whales Don’t Eat People: Where Science and Legend Meet
Expert opinion: Why orcas charged surfers in Norway
ADDITIONAL NOTE:
I found this incredible video of a group of orcas approaching a swimmer in New Zealand. It takes some time to get to the core, but is worth. Incredible footage. See how wild orcas reacts to humans in nature. They seem curious.
If you have a chance, I also recommend seing the movie “The Lighthouse of the Orcas”, available on Netflix.
See also Sergio Diniz's answer to Why won't orcas eat a human?
Wild orcas, or killer whales, are known for their intelligence and complex social structures. While they are apex predators and capable of hunting a variety of marine animals, there are several reasons why they do not typically attack humans:
- Dietary Preferences: Orcas primarily feed on fish, squid, and marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. Humans do not fit into their natural prey categories.
- Social Behavior: Orcas live in matrilineal family groups called pods. Their social structure emphasizes cooperation and communication, which may contribute to their non-aggressive behavior towards hu
Wild orcas, or killer whales, are known for their intelligence and complex social structures. While they are apex predators and capable of hunting a variety of marine animals, there are several reasons why they do not typically attack humans:
- Dietary Preferences: Orcas primarily feed on fish, squid, and marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. Humans do not fit into their natural prey categories.
- Social Behavior: Orcas live in matrilineal family groups called pods. Their social structure emphasizes cooperation and communication, which may contribute to their non-aggressive behavior towards humans.
- Curiosity Over Aggression: When encountering humans, orcas often display curiosity rather than aggression. They may investigate boats or swimmers, but this behavior does not typically lead to attacks.
- Lack of Historical Interaction: Unlike some other marine predators, orcas have not had a long history of interactions with humans that would lead to learned aggressive behaviors.
- Intelligence and Awareness: Orcas are highly intelligent animals with the ability to learn and adapt. They may recognize that humans do not pose a threat or provide food.
- Captivity Influence: While there have been attacks on trainers in captivity, these incidents are often linked to stress, confinement, and unnatural living conditions rather than inherent aggression towards humans.
Overall, wild orcas are not inclined to see humans as threats or prey, leading to a general pattern of non-aggression.
Where do I start?
I’m a huge financial nerd, and have spent an embarrassing amount of time talking to people about their money habits.
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Not having a separate high interest savings account
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Here is a list of the top savings accounts available today. Deposit $5 before moving on because this is one of th
Where do I start?
I’m a huge financial nerd, and have spent an embarrassing amount of time talking to people about their money habits.
Here are the biggest mistakes people are making and how to fix them:
Not having a separate high interest savings account
Having a separate account allows you to see the results of all your hard work and keep your money separate so you're less tempted to spend it.
Plus with rates above 5.00%, the interest you can earn compared to most banks really adds up.
Here is a list of the top savings accounts available today. Deposit $5 before moving on because this is one of the biggest mistakes and easiest ones to fix.
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It’s no secret that millionaires love investing, but for the rest of us, it can seem out of reach.
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Hope this helps! Here are the links to get started:
Have a separate savings account
Stop overpaying for car insurance
Finally get out of debt
Start investing with a free bonus
Fix your credit
I don't know if that is true, but since I've been asked to answer this question, me let me relate what I do know.
In the early 1980’s I was working on an oil rig in Bass Strait in deep water (800 fathoms ~ 1500m). One night during a particularly bad storm, of which there seemed to be many in those waters, a pod of Killer Whales took shelter in the lee of the semi-submersible. Half a dozen tall pect
I don't know if that is true, but since I've been asked to answer this question, me let me relate what I do know.
In the early 1980’s I was working on an oil rig in Bass Strait in deep water (800 fathoms ~ 1500m). One night during a particularly bad storm, of which there seemed to be many in those waters, a pod of Killer Whales took shelter in the lee of the semi-submersible. Half a dozen tall pectoral fins rose and fell together with the high waves. The largest of the fins would’ve been as tall as me at 6′(183cm). They stayed close to the rig all through the storm to avoid the lashing winds whipping the water all around. Winds howled through our rig gusting to over 100km/hour, with waves big enough to lose sight of the 50′ tender vessel from the vantage of the high rig deck. The small pod bathed in the rig lights of the relative calm close into the leeward side of the rig was a wonderful, moving sight.
Further around the coast towards Sydney, an historical...
We are not on their menu as others have noted. Orcas are very particular when it comes to food. They do not just snatch whatever comes by, like, say…. a Tiger shark.
In fact it's believed that some species will only feed on certain fish, some feed on rays, some feed on certain mammals like seals and dolphins.
People like to anthropomorphize them and say they don't kill (in the wild) or eat us out of professional courtesy since they recognize us as being very intelligent, like them. I wouldn't be so sure. If we fit their dietary profile and were blubbery and rich in oil, we'd be snatched up like
We are not on their menu as others have noted. Orcas are very particular when it comes to food. They do not just snatch whatever comes by, like, say…. a Tiger shark.
In fact it's believed that some species will only feed on certain fish, some feed on rays, some feed on certain mammals like seals and dolphins.
People like to anthropomorphize them and say they don't kill (in the wild) or eat us out of professional courtesy since they recognize us as being very intelligent, like them. I wouldn't be so sure. If we fit their dietary profile and were blubbery and rich in oil, we'd be snatched up like a Taco al Pasteur on Taco Tuesday by the mammal eating type of Orca. I say this because they have no qualms about eating other highly intelligent mammals, like bottlenose dolphins.
Wild orcas are healthier mentally and physically. Keeping an orca alone is like keeping a person alone. Taking a baby orca from its mother has the same effect that taking a human baby from a human mother would have. They're social and emotional creatures, but the facilities we have just aren't big enough for 1 orca, let alone a whole pod.
Being held in small isolated spaces causes them to go crazy. The stress drives them mad, the trauma too- whales and other mammals are intelligent, but not in the same way we are. They are more emotionally intelligent and have strong memories, but that doesn't
Wild orcas are healthier mentally and physically. Keeping an orca alone is like keeping a person alone. Taking a baby orca from its mother has the same effect that taking a human baby from a human mother would have. They're social and emotional creatures, but the facilities we have just aren't big enough for 1 orca, let alone a whole pod.
Being held in small isolated spaces causes them to go crazy. The stress drives them mad, the trauma too- whales and other mammals are intelligent, but not in the same way we are. They are more emotionally intelligent and have strong memories, but that doesn't mean they understand. They don't know what cars are, they don't know that we won't hurt them, they don't understand our noises anymore than we understand their clicks. They don't understand our version of the world, but they can understand our feelings, and usually our actions.
Not to mention, we aren't a normal part of their food chain. They don't see us as a food source or as a predator, they certainly could eat us, but we're part of a different chain; like food from a different culture, it's edible, but unfamiliar.
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Orca’s, as well as all other large predators, don't see humans as dinner. We're simply not on their natural menu. That doesn't mean it never happens. Orca's are more than capable of doing it, but to my knowledge it's never happened. When humans and Orca's have an encounter, it's usually born of the curiosity of both species, not hostility or hunger.
There are no recorded attacks on humans in the wi
Orca’s, as well as all other large predators, don't see humans as dinner. We're simply not on their natural menu. That doesn't mean it never happens. Orca's are more than capable of doing it, but to my knowledge it's never happened. When humans and Orca's have an encounter, it's usually born of the curiosity of both species, not hostility or hunger.
There are no recorded attacks on humans in the wild. However, I know of at least one attack by a captive Orca on his trainer, and I think it's happened more than once. Any sentient creature can take only so much before taking action in an attempt alleviate the abuse. If I were an Orca in the wild and found myself captured, taken from my family (pod), put into a tiny enclosure and forced to preform for tourists, I'd lose it, too.
For some time now (at least aquariums in America), wild capture has stopped because Orca’s are successfully producing young in captivity. In fact, some Orcas are being freed.
I have such mixed emotions about putting these, and other magnificent animals, in captivity. My heart breaks for the ones that are kept from their natural environment. But, if they weren't presented to the public, people wouldn't have the chance to see, develop interest, and fall in love with the species of earth.
Without that dynamic, people wouldn't care enough to fight the evil deeds of humans and greedy corporations (almost completely in Japan and China) against animals and the environment. They're pushing the wild cousins of the captives to the brink of extinction, either through loss of habitat, over fishing, or just plain killing for fun or convenience.
Happily, in many cases zoo’s are finally thinking of the wellbeing and happiness of their captive animals and are creating larger, more natural, enclosures. Unhappily, it's impossible to do the same for large marine captives. No matter how huge the aquarium, it'll never be the ocean.
Sadly, not al...
Well, a few reasons. First, there are different subspecies of orca, and the only ones kidnapped for marine parks are of the fish-eating cultures, not the mammal-eating cultures. Humans weren’t quite stupid enough to take mammal-eaters into captivity.
Nevertheless, orca tend to do extremely poorly in captivity, and what makes you think it’s safe to interact with them the way people have been doing? Tilicum is only one of many orca who have killed humans in captivity.
As for wild orcas - they do know that humans aren’t seals or whales. Orcas tend to be somewhat picky about what animals they target
Well, a few reasons. First, there are different subspecies of orca, and the only ones kidnapped for marine parks are of the fish-eating cultures, not the mammal-eating cultures. Humans weren’t quite stupid enough to take mammal-eaters into captivity.
Nevertheless, orca tend to do extremely poorly in captivity, and what makes you think it’s safe to interact with them the way people have been doing? Tilicum is only one of many orca who have killed humans in captivity.
As for wild orcas - they do know that humans aren’t seals or whales. Orcas tend to be somewhat picky about what animals they target as prey. Which isn’t to say we should ever blithely assume that they would never harm a human. Just because we haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it’s never happen - or will never happen.
Not many people are brave/dumb enough to try swimming with wild orcas. They’re pretty intimidating.
I once met a man who drove a modest Toyota Corolla, wore beat-up sneakers, and looked like he’d lived the same way for decades. But what really caught my attention was when he casually mentioned he was retired at 45 with more money than he could ever spend. I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you do it?”
He smiled and said, “The secret to saving money is knowing where to look for the waste—and car insurance is one of the easiest places to start.”
He then walked me through a few strategies that I’d never thought of before. Here’s what I learned:
1. Make insurance companies fight for your business
Mos
I once met a man who drove a modest Toyota Corolla, wore beat-up sneakers, and looked like he’d lived the same way for decades. But what really caught my attention was when he casually mentioned he was retired at 45 with more money than he could ever spend. I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you do it?”
He smiled and said, “The secret to saving money is knowing where to look for the waste—and car insurance is one of the easiest places to start.”
He then walked me through a few strategies that I’d never thought of before. Here’s what I learned:
1. Make insurance companies fight for your business
Most people just stick with the same insurer year after year, but that’s what the companies are counting on. This guy used tools like Coverage.com to compare rates every time his policy came up for renewal. It only took him a few minutes, and he said he’d saved hundreds each year by letting insurers compete for his business.
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This is a bit off topic but I find it interesting so maybe you will too.
We've recently found out that pods of orca are “regional” meaning they have a very specific lifestyle known only to THAT pod.
Each pod has a accent to their language, completely different from other pods living in other areas. Hunt for different foods-by choice and not because of availability but because they like it.
And knowledge is passed to younger members of the pod alot like we pass our knowledge to our kids.
Anyway I really like the image of two orca having a conversation but on with a Filipino accent and the other wit
This is a bit off topic but I find it interesting so maybe you will too.
We've recently found out that pods of orca are “regional” meaning they have a very specific lifestyle known only to THAT pod.
Each pod has a accent to their language, completely different from other pods living in other areas. Hunt for different foods-by choice and not because of availability but because they like it.
And knowledge is passed to younger members of the pod alot like we pass our knowledge to our kids.
Anyway I really like the image of two orca having a conversation but on with a Filipino accent and the other with a English accent….lol.
Yeah I'm weird.
Orcas are extremely intelligent, certainly when compared to sharks. They are actually a species of dolphin. Sharks sometimes attack humans because they confuse them with food. Great whites, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and quite a few others have a varied diet that includes animals the size of a human, and they lack the intelligence to distinguish carefully between different food items. Orcas know their food extremely well, and, so far at least, there is no population of orcas that have included humans in their diet. This is unlikely to happen, since the encounters between humans and orcas are f
Orcas are extremely intelligent, certainly when compared to sharks. They are actually a species of dolphin. Sharks sometimes attack humans because they confuse them with food. Great whites, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and quite a few others have a varied diet that includes animals the size of a human, and they lack the intelligence to distinguish carefully between different food items. Orcas know their food extremely well, and, so far at least, there is no population of orcas that have included humans in their diet. This is unlikely to happen, since the encounters between humans and orcas are far too rare to make it worth while for the orcas to prey on the humans, which have very little nutritional value compared to seals, nice fish and the odd oily sea bird. Even orcas in captivity that have killed humans, have not bitten or eaten them but drowned them to death, which certainly were acts of aggression rather than feeding. I would imagine that a diver or swimmer who gets close to a baby orca may suffer a similar fate but this has not been reported yet.
Honestly? It depends. If you have newer appliances and systems, probably not. But if your HVAC is on its last legs or you just bought an older home, a home warranty can probably save you from a massive repair bill.
Here’s when a home warranty makes sense:
- You don’t have the cash to cover surprise repairs.
- Your appliances and systems are older than 5 years.
- You’re bad at budgeting for maintenance (no judgment).
But they’re not all great. Some have weird exclusions or bad customer service. If you’re considering one, read the fine print - and you’re probably better off going with a larger company. I’v
Honestly? It depends. If you have newer appliances and systems, probably not. But if your HVAC is on its last legs or you just bought an older home, a home warranty can probably save you from a massive repair bill.
Here’s when a home warranty makes sense:
- You don’t have the cash to cover surprise repairs.
- Your appliances and systems are older than 5 years.
- You’re bad at budgeting for maintenance (no judgment).
But they’re not all great. Some have weird exclusions or bad customer service. If you’re considering one, read the fine print - and you’re probably better off going with a larger company. I’ve had a bit of a look and Choice Home Warranty seems like a decent option: link to their site here.
Or because they see no advantage in doing it?
Humans don’t regularly prey on orcas. For what is worth, humans do prey on larger whales, which orcas also attack but only for their soft parts, such as the tongue: therefore, there are believable accounts of orcas and whalers somehow joining forces to kill a whale.
Since there is no question orcas communicate using a fairly complex language, the knowled
Or because they see no advantage in doing it?
Humans don’t regularly prey on orcas. For what is worth, humans do prey on larger whales, which orcas also attack but only for their soft parts, such as the tongue: therefore, there are believable accounts of orcas and whalers somehow joining forces to kill a whale.
Since there is no question orcas communicate using a fairly complex language, the knowledge that humans are not a threat must be passed on, thus making attacks a rarity, perhaps only as a last resource when an orca pod realizes some particular humans actually do pose a threat.
As for orcas attacking humans in captivity, you try living in captivity in a 20 ft x 20 ft cage, with foreign people you can’t understand; orcas can grow up to 30 ft. long and often live in tanks no more than 100 ft. in diameter, and...
There are a few recorded cases of wild orcas threatening humans. However, there have been no fatalities recorded.
1910s
- In the early 1910s, the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.
1970s
- On June 15, 1972, the hull of the 13-metre-long (43 ft) wooden schooner Lucette was damaged by a pod of killer whales and sank approximately 320 kilometres (200 mi) west of the Galapagos Islands. Dougal Robertson and his family of five escaped to an inflatable life raft and a dinghy.[9][10][11][12]
- On
There are a few recorded cases of wild orcas threatening humans. However, there have been no fatalities recorded.
1910s
- In the early 1910s, the Terra Nova Expedition recorded that killer whales had attempted to tip ice floes on which an expedition photographer and a sled dog team were standing.
1970s
- On June 15, 1972, the hull of the 13-metre-long (43 ft) wooden schooner Lucette was damaged by a pod of killer whales and sank approximately 320 kilometres (200 mi) west of the Galapagos Islands. Dougal Robertson and his family of five escaped to an inflatable life raft and a dinghy.[9][10][11][12]
- On September 9, 1972,[13] Californian surfer Hans Kretschmer reported being bitten by an orca at Point Sur; most maintain that this remains the only fairly well-documented instance of a wild orca biting a human.[14][15] His wounds required 100 stitches.[15][16]
2000s
- In August 2005, while swimming in four feet of water in Helm Bay, near Ketchikan, Alaska, a 12-year-old boy named Ellis Miller was bumped in the shoulder by a 7.6-metre (25 ft) transient killer whale.[14][17] The boy was not bitten or injured in any way. The bay is frequented by harbor seals, and it is possible that the whale misidentified him as prey.[17]
2010sEdit
- During the filming of the third episode of the BBC documentary Frozen Planet (2011), a group of orcas were filmed trying to swamp the film crew's 5.5-metre (18 ft) zodiac boat with waves as they were filming. The crew had earlier taped the group hunting seals in the same fashion. It was not mentioned if any of the crew were hurt in the encounter.[18][19] The crew described the orcas as being very tolerant of the film makers' presence. Over the course of 14 days they filmed over 20 different attacks on seals, many of which the film series producer Vanessa Berlowitz described as training exercises for the young calves in the group.[20][21]
- On February 10, 2014, a free diver in Horahora Estuary near Whangarei, New Zealand, was pulled down for over 40 seconds by a killer whale that grabbed a bag containing crayfish and urchins, which was attached to his arm by a rope. The rope eventually came free. He then undid his weight belt and returned to the surface. He had lost all feeling in his arm and could no longer swim, but his cousin was nearby and helped him float to some rocks where the feeling in his arm returned.[22][23][24]
2020sEdit
- From July to October 2020 there were at least forty reliable reports of orcas attacking boats off the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Spain, unusual and unprecedented behaviour. The nudging, biting and ramming attacks, on medium-size sailing boats sailing at moderate speed, concentrated on the rudder, with some impacts on the hull. A small group of orcas are believed to be responsible, with three juveniles which have been named black Gladis, white Gladis and grey Gladis, identified as present in most attacks. No people were injured. The Portuguese coastguard banned small sailing vessels from a region where several incidents had been reported. It is thought that the behaviour is playful, rather than aggressive or vengeful.
These juveniles gave it a fair go, although it is of course not entirely clear how much of that was experimentation of the “we are learning from our mums to use this trick to wash mammals off of floating islands, those are mammals and that is a floating island, let’s see if it still works” variety and how much of it was “c’mon lads if we can get them into the water they’re not nearly as bitey as seals” active predatory intent.
Frozen Planet Behind the Scenes: Orcas attempt to knock camera men out of boat
As well pointed by my colleague, Serge Elia, we’re not a preferred meal to them.
But why? First, there are no generic orcas; like humans, they have different cultures and feeding habits in different parts of the globe. There are many types of orcas, in fact. Crazy? See more Meet the different types of orcas - Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA.
As a consequence, they are really picky-eaters: an orca from Norway, will focus on fish (like salmon), while other populations may prefer marine mammals. You can even swim with them (it is on my dreams list…), see Sergio Diniz's answer to Can you swim with
As well pointed by my colleague, Serge Elia, we’re not a preferred meal to them.
But why? First, there are no generic orcas; like humans, they have different cultures and feeding habits in different parts of the globe. There are many types of orcas, in fact. Crazy? See more Meet the different types of orcas - Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA.
As a consequence, they are really picky-eaters: an orca from Norway, will focus on fish (like salmon), while other populations may prefer marine mammals. You can even swim with them (it is on my dreams list…), see Sergio Diniz's answer to Can you swim with orcas? If so, where?
Orcas are smart and can “ultrasound” you and easily see you are not a prey: easy to find out our body fat (even the chubby ones like me would seem skinny to an orca). See Sergio Diniz's answer to Why don't wild orcas attack humans?. All reported incidents have occurred with captive orcas (they are too intelligent to accept captivity).
Again, we are simply out of their menu, fortunately for us.
ADDITIONAL NOTE:
I found this incredible video of a group of orcas approaching a swimmer in New Zealand. It takes some time to get to the core, but is worth. Incredible footage. See how wild orcas reacts to humans in nature. They seem curious.
If you have a chance, I also recommend seing the movie “The Lighthouse of the Orcas”, available on Netflix.
See also this video
Main reason is Killer whales don't consider humans as prey. They mostly adapted to feed on pinnipeds, fishes, penguins and other whales and carcasses. Killer whales or Orcas are very strategic and intelligent hunters.
The only time a Killer whale might be capable of killing humans as intruders and can possibly get provoked is when defending calves which is never been proven, defending territory/space which also s not proven and case of mistake during an accident.
Main reason is Killer whales don't consider humans as prey. They mostly adapted to feed on pinnipeds, fishes, penguins and other whales and carcasses. Killer whales or Orcas are very strategic and intelligent hunters.
The only time a Killer whale might be capable of killing humans as intruders and can possibly get provoked is when defending calves which is never been proven, defending territory/space which also s not proven and case of mistake during an accident.
Orca teeth, much like all dolphins and marine mammals, are designed to grab prey, but not to chew, and so they must swallow their quarry whole or tear it to pieces. However, they can neither chew nor swallow humans – in fact, most species of large cetaceans have throats far too small to be able to swallow an adult human being, hence they wouldn’t be able to swallow a person if they tried.
Moreover, we’re not a preferred meal to them – we’re not even tasty enough (and that’s good when you think about it!) –, since killer whales feed exclusively on sea food (fish, seals, even sharks and whales).
Orca teeth, much like all dolphins and marine mammals, are designed to grab prey, but not to chew, and so they must swallow their quarry whole or tear it to pieces. However, they can neither chew nor swallow humans – in fact, most species of large cetaceans have throats far too small to be able to swallow an adult human being, hence they wouldn’t be able to swallow a person if they tried.
Moreover, we’re not a preferred meal to them – we’re not even tasty enough (and that’s good when you think about it!) –, since killer whales feed exclusively on sea food (fish, seals, even sharks and whales). Thus, we don’t resemble any food source orcas typically depend on. And while there have been reported incidents in which a killer whale attempted to hunt a human, it nevertheless immediately broke off the hunt upon realizing the target wasn’t a sea lion – such is the same case for sharks, especially great whites.
So, orca attacks on people that have occurred did not result at all in the person getting eaten, because it would be impossible for the largest dolphin on Earth to eat a human.
Haha no. Orca’s are giant oreo dolphins and the assholes of the ocean.
Orcas have been known to use their tails and literally fling seals so hard into the sky(about 80 something feet), that when they hit the water it actually tears their skin. Even though seals are one of the orca’s main food sources, researchers have found out this isn’t even a hunting method or strategy, orcas just really love being dicks to seals for no reason.
Haha no. Orca’s are giant oreo dolphins and the assholes of the ocean.
Orcas have been known to use their tails and literally fling seals so hard into the sky(about 80 something feet), that when they hit the water it actually tears their skin. Even though seals are one of the orca’s main food sources, researchers have found out this isn’t even a hunting method or strategy, orcas just really love being dicks to seals for no reason.
Wild orcas have had some contact with humans, but it's infrequent.
So why don't wild orcas attack humans?
A guess: Availability and unfamiliarity?
The places where orcas travel are generally different than where humans would normally be.
On the off chance one does become available, they are unfamiliar.
When you are traveling and hungry, will you eat at that questionable local joint or though you loathe it, get a BigMac? And if you just had a double-double and a large chocolate shake at In-n-Out Burger, is that local joint even going to register.
Because we learned our lesson.
If you're a human, keep scrolling. This answer is meant for my fellow animals.
Let's go back to the early men. Assuming a wild animal attacks and kills one of their own…
Humans, unlike any other animal don't take that shit. They will want one thing. Revenge
No matter how fast you move or how far you go, humans are relentless. They will track you down and hunt you.
And when they find you. There's only one thing in their mind.
No matter how big or strong you think you are, you will be slaughtered.
You think you're the biggest shit in your world? Be in for a rude awakening
Because we learned our lesson.
If you're a human, keep scrolling. This answer is meant for my fellow animals.
Let's go back to the early men. Assuming a wild animal attacks and kills one of their own…
Humans, unlike any other animal don't take that shit. They will want one thing. Revenge
No matter how fast you move or how far you go, humans are relentless. They will track you down and hunt you.
And when they find you. There's only one thing in their mind.
No matter how big or strong you think you are, you will be slaughtered.
You think you're the biggest shit in your world? Be in for a rude awakening.
Our ancestors have learned that hunting those “defenceless” pile of bones and little flesh is not worth it and you should too.
Why? Cause humans haven't changed one fucking bit.
-Leyit
I agree with the other answers, and would like to add to it. There’s no benefit in doing so. Smaller fish are aware that a shark can and will occasionally eat them, but often sharks can be seen swimming among schools of fish wit no problem in sight. The effort it would take for a large shark to catch and eat enough smaller fish to satisfy itself is ridiculous. They’d be better off attacking larger
I agree with the other answers, and would like to add to it. There’s no benefit in doing so. Smaller fish are aware that a shark can and will occasionally eat them, but often sharks can be seen swimming among schools of fish wit no problem in sight. The effort it would take for a large shark to catch and eat enough smaller fish to satisfy itself is ridiculous. They’d be better off attacking larger fish, a smaller shark, a seal or a turtle. An orca is much larger than the majority of sharks, weight several tons. Your average human is ...
Orcas are dangerous predators. Even sharks are afraid of them. And they don’t seem to be afraid of anyone. The reason? They’ve been very lucky in terms of evolutionary development.
Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. They are very smart and coordinate hunting techniques. The orcas are on top of the food chain and doesn't fear anyone. They are extremely social animals. Each pod has their own social hierarchies. Orcas can weigh up to 10 ton and eat up to 227 kilos of food in one day.
Please don't fall off your boat near a pod of orcas.
Orcas are dangerous predators. Even sharks are afraid of them. And they don’t seem to be afraid of anyone. The reason? They’ve been very lucky in terms of evolutionary development.
Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. They are very smart and coordinate hunting techniques. The orcas are on top of the food chain and doesn't fear anyone. They are extremely social animals. Each pod has their own social hierarchies. Orcas can weigh up to 10 ton and eat up to 227 kilos of food in one day.
Please don't fall off your boat near a pod of orcas.
Firstly, there have been records of killer whale attacks in captivity, although not many. You can google for it in moments.
Secondly, the lack of recorded killer whale attacks in the wild is an argument for their intelligence. We don’t know that such an attack has never occurred. We do know that such an attack has never been observed.
In other words - if they have killed humans in the wild, they’ve never been caught.
I don’t really count the attacks in captivity against them here. They’re being kept in relatively small spaces , with little to do and little social contact. It would be a wonder if
Firstly, there have been records of killer whale attacks in captivity, although not many. You can google for it in moments.
Secondly, the lack of recorded killer whale attacks in the wild is an argument for their intelligence. We don’t know that such an attack has never occurred. We do know that such an attack has never been observed.
In other words - if they have killed humans in the wild, they’ve never been caught.
I don’t really count the attacks in captivity against them here. They’re being kept in relatively small spaces , with little to do and little social contact. It would be a wonder if a member of a social species was able to retain their equilibrium under such circumstances. Think solitary confinement, minus having actually committed a crime.
HAHAHAHA! Yeah, nope.
Humans are ridiculously good at killing things.
So you are 100% correct that an ordinary stone age hunter against a bear, with nothing but his bare hands, is going to die.
But a stone age hunter is going to run away, if at all possible, go back and get his spear and a bunch of his buddies and their spears and then go kill the shit out of that bear, eat it for dinner and wear it’s skin to let the rest of the bears know not to mess with him.
Even if he can’t get away and gets killed by the bear. His buddies will probably find his remains and realise there is a dangerous, and ta
HAHAHAHA! Yeah, nope.
Humans are ridiculously good at killing things.
So you are 100% correct that an ordinary stone age hunter against a bear, with nothing but his bare hands, is going to die.
But a stone age hunter is going to run away, if at all possible, go back and get his spear and a bunch of his buddies and their spears and then go kill the shit out of that bear, eat it for dinner and wear it’s skin to let the rest of the bears know not to mess with him.
Even if he can’t get away and gets killed by the bear. His buddies will probably find his remains and realise there is a dangerous, and tasty, bear in the area. They will then hunt down and, again, kill the shit out of that bear.
The biggest issue is that we can remember, plan, and coordinate. So let’s say you are Mr. Bear, and we kill one of your cubs. If we get away, you are liable to be angry for a while, but you will eventually forget about it and, the next day, you will go out foraging for berries and nuts and whatnot. But, if you kill one of our kids, we will not only remember it, we will tell other humans about it, and we will then collectively hunt your ass down and kill you and any other big furry asshole in the immediate vicinity, just in case one of the innocent bears gets the idea that killing humans is cool.
It’s Human intelligence and human tools that make us dangerous. Not human fangs and claws.
Because we are bad tasting weight loss food for them.
Too much bone, too little fat and too bothersome.
Depends on who you ask.
If you ask humans, then yes. Apparently, orcas are curious about and even fond of humans (as long as we aren’t cruel to them). They are curious about our boats, have been known to help fishermen hunt for fish (example: corralling the fish for us), and have even protected humans who have fallen into the ocean from sharks or from drowning.
But if you ask EVERY OTHER ANIMAL in the ocean—eh… no. Not so much.
Orcas are the rulers of the sea, known for hunting just about anything: fish, seals, birds, sharks, dolphins, porpoise, whales—in fact, it is from this last prey that they
Depends on who you ask.
If you ask humans, then yes. Apparently, orcas are curious about and even fond of humans (as long as we aren’t cruel to them). They are curious about our boats, have been known to help fishermen hunt for fish (example: corralling the fish for us), and have even protected humans who have fallen into the ocean from sharks or from drowning.
But if you ask EVERY OTHER ANIMAL in the ocean—eh… no. Not so much.
Orcas are the rulers of the sea, known for hunting just about anything: fish, seals, birds, sharks, dolphins, porpoise, whales—in fact, it is from this last prey that they get their name. The name “killer whales” comes from “whale killer” or “killer of whales.” And they are good at killing these giants, despite being less than half their size. They’ve learned to flip whales over so that they’re helpless, and then bite out their bellies or…well... just take my word for it. It’s gruesome.
Their diets consist of just about every living animal in the ocean. (As well as any land animal they can get their teeth on when it’s in the water—including moose, apparently).
Here is a sperm whale being flipped moments before being killed:
Here’s another—the blue whale. 70+ orcas from different pods teamed up to force the giant into more shallow waters. The whale fought the entire time, but was dragged under out of sight. The orcas ended up ripping it apart and sharing it amongst themselves:
It’s hard to imagine creatures so violent and terrifying can also act all playful and sweet toward humans. (But they are also smart enough that in the past, some which used to help fishermen have stopped helping them if they didn’t share, or have even plotted revenge against humans for being cruel. They’re quite intelligent).
That being said, they’re still wild animals, and it’s always best to be cautious around them. After all, you never know what their experiences are with humans before interacting with them. Even if they like humans, they’re massive and may not know their own strength.
There have been about 6 official accounts between orcas and humans in the wild. One in which one bit a surfer (but immediately let him go). Another where an orca was trying to wash a man off an ice cap (though they believe its real target were his sled dogs). Another damaged a boat and caused the crew to have to evacuate to a raft. One involved a 12 year old boy that the orca nudged and swam in circles around thinking he was a seal—but once realizing he was human he swam off and left the child unharmed.
So, even if they like humans as a general rule, it’s still best to be cautious and maintain your distance as best you can.
Edit: As some have pointed out, there have been some attacks on boats (by ramming them) along the coast of Spain recently. Apparently, this is being carried out by 3 juvenile orcas being called “rogue” orcas (don’t seem to have a larger pod). Scientists say that, when reviewing the footage of some of these attacks, two of the orcas were injured / recovering from injuries, which may have prompted the aggressive behavior. It is unknown if they were injured from a small boat or not.
They say that their behavior doesn’t seem to be in revenge, and they don’t seem to be targeting any of the people aboard the boats, but are treating the boat itself with a precautionary measures (to ward it off?), and while their plan may not be to necessarily cause harm, they can still end up damaging the boats themselves—including one case where the rudder was broken off.
Scientists say that though there has been a drastic spike in these attacks because of these particular orca, they are still considered quite rare.
Again, another illustration of why you should be cautious around large animals like this. Whether they mean harm or not, they can still cause damage.
Above: One of the three orca ramming small vessels off the coast of Spain.
It’s a 19th Century myth that humans’ sense of sight and smell is weak compared to the rest of the animal kingdom.
The thing that probably stops most predators from killing us, over the course of our evolutionary history, is that we see them before they see us and move or make lots of noise. Predators then have to exert more energy hunting us down and probably fight a whole group of humans.
In terms of colour perception, humans are near the top in mammals. One mammal with better colour perception than us is the tetrachromatic reindeer (who are also some of the only mammals with ultraviolet colou
It’s a 19th Century myth that humans’ sense of sight and smell is weak compared to the rest of the animal kingdom.
The thing that probably stops most predators from killing us, over the course of our evolutionary history, is that we see them before they see us and move or make lots of noise. Predators then have to exert more energy hunting us down and probably fight a whole group of humans.
In terms of colour perception, humans are near the top in mammals. One mammal with better colour perception than us is the tetrachromatic reindeer (who are also some of the only mammals with ultraviolet colour perception and red-green perception; some dichromatic rodents do have UV perception from their blue cone). Most mammals do not have more than two types of colour cones in their eyes.
Having better colour perception allows us to see colour patterns that are invisible or much more subtle to other animals. Almost every mammal is a dichromat with two colour rods, but humans and a handful of our closest Ape relatives are trichromats. To dogs, deer, lions, and a portion of humans, the distinction between green shades and red shades is much more subtle:
On top of that, humans also have the best daytime angular resolution of any other documented mammal (at 1 minute angular resolution, compared to 10 minutes for a cat).
Directly related pattern recognition, the human eye has the fastest cycles per degree of visual acuity of any mammal which vastly increases the spatial processing capacity of our visual system and increases the amount of information going to our brain (Data from Hayes et al., 2007):
The notion that human visual perception is only good because our brain is so good is Cartesian, Freudian, and Victorian. No matter how big our brain was, if our visual acuity was worse, we would see fewer patterns in the first place.
If you take a dog on a walk, and you are paying attention to the world around you, odds are you will see an animal way before your dog does. Your dog will smell an animal before you do though. The only time my dogs have ever sighted an animal before me I was on my phone, or the animal was low to the ground (e.g., under a car) and I couldn’t see the animal at human-height.
We aren’t blind-deaf disembodied brains compared to other animals. Human eyes are very powerful and decrease the likelihood of being ambushed. They further decrease the likelihood of a predator picking off a human alone by giving a human ample time to raise the alarm.
If Zebras and Antelope had as good of eyesight as humans, Lions would probably starve to death. The amount of time between each feeding would increase to the point that they would be exerting more energy to kill a zebra than they gain from eating one.
The eyesight of other mammals is, on average, poor. Hunters go off in the woods wearing orange vests so that other hunters don’t accidentally shoot them, and they still sneak up on deer.
Yeah she has a rifle, but a human would see her beyond the range of a typical rifle (which is the point of her attire).
Reference:
Hayes, S., Boote, C., Lewis, J., Sheppard, J., Abahussin, M., Quantock, A. J., ... & Meek, K. M. (2007). Comparative study of fibrillar collagen arrangement in the corneas of primates and other mammals. The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 290(12), 1542-1550.
Campbell, F. W., Maffei, L., & Piccolino, M. (1973). The contrast sensitivity of the cat. The Journal of Physiology, 229(3), 719-731.
Edit:
I’ve been getting hundreds of comments I agree with saying:
BUT TOOLS!!!
Yes. Tools help humans too, to beat a dead horse that is mentioned in every other answer to this question one more time.
When I wrote this answer though, I was also thinking of humans without tools and even prehistoric times before proto-humans developed tools. Humans have been around a lot longer than tools.
I have also been getting hundreds of comments I disagree with saying:
Humans take revenge on animals. This is why animals don’t hunt humans.
This would require animals to have inter-generational transmitted knowledge of human vengeance, and a psychological model not only of themselves, but a model of the anticipated behaviour of humans if a human dies.
I am open-minded enough to agree some animals are smart enough for that, but certainly not bears, for instance. Bears cannot even figure out to use wildlife overpasses to avoid getting killed by cars:
Hallstrom et al. (2008) found bears were killed in traffic collisions at a rate that increased or decreased proportional to traffic, despite the construction of dozens of wildlife crossings throughout Alberta, Canada. You are telling me bears are smart enough to know that if they kill a human, it’s a death sentence, but aren’t smart enough to walk on that to cross the road.
Predatory animals going extinct due to human activity is a relatively new thing on the time scale. The first species, to my knowledge, that this is speculated to have happened to is sabre tooth tigers (or Smilodons).
However, most scientists believe Smilodons went extinct due to their food sources dying off (perhaps due to humans eating their prey), not because humans hunted Smilodons to extinction (see Chimento et al., 2019).
There isn’t any evidence wolves were hunted before 8,000 years ago (Mech et al., 2003) and they obviously occasionally ate humans before then. The reason humans started hunting wolves was mainly to protect livestock.
In parts of the world where humans did not become nomadic herders, like North America, wolf populations continued thriving until European herders showed up.
Another species of animal which frequently eats humans is the crocodile. They eat 1,000 humans per year and have not been hunted to extinction.
Most humans avoid being eaten by crocodiles not through tools but by seeing them and avoiding water with crocodiles in it. Conversely, most humans who get eaten by crocodiles fail to see a crocodile, go in the water, and then munched on.
At any point in human evolutionary history, tools or not, if humans were eaten by predators more often than we reproduced we would have gone extinct. Tools have obviously played a role in putting humans on top of predators.
I have gotten a few comments saying:
Human eyes face forward, therefore they exist for hunting because we are natural predators.
Every primate has forward-facing eyes and so do Koalas. Our eyesight is good for depth perception not for offensive or defensive reasons, but because we spent most of our evolutionary history in trees where depth perception was very important.
Coincidentally, having good depth perception also helps everywhere except in underground dens or caves, and is excellent for constructing partially-obscured images (e.g., part of a leopards face as it stares at you through tall grass).
Additionally, animals that are upright on two legs can spin so having eyes on the side of the head isn’t as important. A human can turn much faster than a deer or a gazelle.
One herbivorous group of animals, Kangaroos, also tend to have forward-facing eyes. Like humans, they can spin to face the sound of an approaching predator without taking 10 steps using four different legs.
Further References:
Chimento, N. R., Agnolin, F. L., Soibelzon, L., Ochoa, J. G., & Buide, V. (2019). Evidence of intraspecific agonistic interactions in Smilodon populator (Carnivora, Felidae). Comptes Rendus Palevol, 18(4), 449-454.
Hallstrom, W., Clevenger, A. P., Maher, A., & Whittington, J. (2008). Effectiveness of highway mitigation fencing for ungulates and carnivores. Journal of Applied Ecology-In Review.
Mech, L. David; Boitani, Luigi (2003). Wolves: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
There are a few possible reasons why killer whales have never been known to kill humans in the wild. For one, they may simply not see us as potential prey. Although they are very large and powerful animals, they mostly eat fish and other marine mammals like seals and dolphins. Humans just don't seem to fit into their normal diet.
Another possibility is that they recognize us as fellow intelligent beings. Unlike many other animals, killer whales have been found to have advanced cognitive abilities comparable to primates. They can use tools, communicate using sophisticated vocalizations, and even
There are a few possible reasons why killer whales have never been known to kill humans in the wild. For one, they may simply not see us as potential prey. Although they are very large and powerful animals, they mostly eat fish and other marine mammals like seals and dolphins. Humans just don't seem to fit into their normal diet.
Another possibility is that they recognize us as fellow intelligent beings. Unlike many other animals, killer whales have been found to have advanced cognitive abilities comparable to primates. They can use tools, communicate using sophisticated vocalizations, and even show signs of self-awareness in mirror tests. This intelligence may lead them to see us as members of the same community, rather than potential prey items.
Scientists say they don’t eat humans, but the difference between Orca’s and man-eating sharks is that the sharks often leave leftovers that wash up (hence “oh somebody got eaten by a shark” reports), where as Orca’s don’t leave anything leftover as they often feed in pods. So I wouldn’t go messing around with wild Orca’s the limited scientific info of ‘no human deaths’, especially the specimens that mainly eat mammals due to their locality. People go missing at sea every year, who can really say without a shadow of a doubt that a species with jaws strong enough to go through bone (unlike most
Scientists say they don’t eat humans, but the difference between Orca’s and man-eating sharks is that the sharks often leave leftovers that wash up (hence “oh somebody got eaten by a shark” reports), where as Orca’s don’t leave anything leftover as they often feed in pods. So I wouldn’t go messing around with wild Orca’s the limited scientific info of ‘no human deaths’, especially the specimens that mainly eat mammals due to their locality. People go missing at sea every year, who can really say without a shadow of a doubt that a species with jaws strong enough to go through bone (unlike most sharks) has never munched anybody up. There is a video of Orca's causing a boat to sink, boats go missing at sea without trace fairly often.
What makes you think Orcas don’t attack humans?
They are not as well known for attacking humans as other sealife … ie sharks. However, there are also less of them and they are smarter … perhaps they make sure they don’t get caught.
The idea that Orca attacks have simply not been noticed is reinforced by the fact that Orca attacks have happened in captivity.
Marine biologists tell me that Orcas simply don’t want to attack humans. There are a lot of things they don’t attack in general … if humans were considered food, or a threat, or annoying, then they can be expected to attack … and that is consi
What makes you think Orcas don’t attack humans?
They are not as well known for attacking humans as other sealife … ie sharks. However, there are also less of them and they are smarter … perhaps they make sure they don’t get caught.
The idea that Orca attacks have simply not been noticed is reinforced by the fact that Orca attacks have happened in captivity.
Marine biologists tell me that Orcas simply don’t want to attack humans. There are a lot of things they don’t attack in general … if humans were considered food, or a threat, or annoying, then they can be expected to attack … and that is consistent with the recorded attacks.
Most marine life does not attack humans … the question is: why do the things that do attack humans do so?
Yes. This is such a common occurrence, in fact, that it has become part of folklore. Orcas and dolphins (orcas are the biggest members of the dolphin family) are highly intelligent creatures with complex social systems and even possess traits that we can define as “cultural.” Their senses are orders of magnitude more acute than our own. Imagine being able to perceive the world in three dimensions all around you. Now imagine being able to not only sense the living things moving around you, but to actually “see” through them to perceive things like heartbeat and (if applicable) respiration.
The n
Yes. This is such a common occurrence, in fact, that it has become part of folklore. Orcas and dolphins (orcas are the biggest members of the dolphin family) are highly intelligent creatures with complex social systems and even possess traits that we can define as “cultural.” Their senses are orders of magnitude more acute than our own. Imagine being able to perceive the world in three dimensions all around you. Now imagine being able to not only sense the living things moving around you, but to actually “see” through them to perceive things like heartbeat and (if applicable) respiration.
The net result of all this sensory armament is that orcas and dolphins know exactly what we are: mammals out of our element. They can hear our breathing and heartbeat, they know that we are warm blooded, they might even be able to sense our distress. And they respond far more kindly than humans have treated them over the years.
There has never been a recorded attack by a wild orca on a human. The only attacks have been by captive animals, and if you have seen the documentary Blackfish you know that those poor creatures were driven to madness. Dolphins have been known to attack humans, but it is vanishingly rare and usually appears to be meant as a warning to stay away (there are grumpy, misanthropic dolphins just like there are grumpy, misanthropic people). No fatalities or serious injuries have resulted. Still, it’s best not to follow or harass wild dolphins — if they want to interact they will come to you.
Far more common are reports of these animals assisting or even saving humans. Dolphins dislike sharks intensely and will often attack them on site, ramming their gill slits and causing the animal to essentially choke to death on its own blood. Most sharks, for their part, will make themselves scarce when dolphins are present (although a large or especially aggressive shark might go after a young, sick, or otherwise isolated dolphin if the opportunity arose). And all sharks make themselves scarce when orcas are present.
There are innumerable reports of orcas and dolphins coming to humans’ rescue. Here are a few examples, taken from Dolphins-World.com:
In 2002, a 36-year-old Australian man named Grant Dickson was fishing in northern Queensland along with other people. Hours later the vessel collapsed in the water, and Dickson found himself alone in the middle of the ocean, holding only to the remainings of the boat. He had some wounds bleeding profusely, and with horror, he discovered a group of sharks swimming around him. However, he watched with amazement how a pod of dolphins began to circle him, scaring away the sharks they might have attacked them by confusing his legs with some prey because of the blood. In the end, Grant Dickson was rescued safe and sound.
In 2004, a group of lifeguards and a young woman from New Zealand were training at sea when a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) about 3 meters in length suddenly appeared in front of them. But fortunately soon a small pod of dolphins arrived surrounding the group and the woman. They waved their tails and created lots of noise to dissuade the shark from attack them until it decided to go away.
Todd Endris, a 24-year-old surfer, was practicing his favorite sport on August 28, 2007. He could not imagine that moments later a great white shark was going to wallop him and then gave him two severe bites. The terrified young man saw his death close when suddenly about 15 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) appeared and surrounded him to form a barrier between him and the shark. This protection allowed Todd to get safely to the shore, although with severe wounds from what he later recovered.
Hardy Jones is a wildlife activist. In 2003 he was filming a pod of dolphins when he realized that a shark approached him. Maybe he would have to get attacked if four dolphins had not approached to protect him.
In 2004, five British scuba divers were adrift in the Red Sea with no more company than the animals around. They feared dying right there until a boat rescued them. They believe that dolphins deserve their gratitude since the crew of the rescuing boat said they saw a group of these cetaceans swimming in the direction of divers, probably to draw attention to that place.
Orcas behave similarly:
Most theories about why they do this revolve around the idea that orcas and dolphins sense our distress and respond the same way they would for a sick or injured podmate or calf. As to why they do this, well, no one can say. Is it a simple “helping” instinct triggered by our distress or is it something more deliberate? I tend to lean toward the latter.
This behavior is not limited to orcas and dolphins, by the way. Many cetaceans have been known to help humans in distress, including belugas, pilot whales, and even large baleen whales like humpbacks. It makes you think about the meaning of compassion when you consider that these animals have every reason to hate and fear us, and yet time after time they have been observed trying to help in life-threatening situations. So which species is really the most advanced?
Because they’re smart enough to understand that once they start killing us, they need to fully commit, follow it through to the end, and take us all out. And they know they’re not yet in a position to do that.
Give them a little more time. They’ll figure it out.
Actually, they do but very rarely.
Among wild orcas, a man was bitten by a wild orca in 1972 and required 100 stitches. But other cases aren’t so clear, like the time the same year that a 43 foot wooden sailboat was sunk by a pod of killer whales, but the owner and 5 members of his family got away in an inflatable outboard engine boat. In 2005, a 12 year old boy was bumped into by the shoulder by a 25 foot long orca, and the boy was not injured in the collision. In 2014, a free diver near New Zealand was indirectly attacked because an orca grabbed a sac of urchins and crayfish in a bag attached
Actually, they do but very rarely.
Among wild orcas, a man was bitten by a wild orca in 1972 and required 100 stitches. But other cases aren’t so clear, like the time the same year that a 43 foot wooden sailboat was sunk by a pod of killer whales, but the owner and 5 members of his family got away in an inflatable outboard engine boat. In 2005, a 12 year old boy was bumped into by the shoulder by a 25 foot long orca, and the boy was not injured in the collision. In 2014, a free diver near New Zealand was indirectly attacked because an orca grabbed a sac of urchins and crayfish in a bag attached to his arm. He was dragged under for 40 seconds, and by the time he released the rope and weights, his arm was completely numb when he surfaced.
Captive orca are another matter entirely. One orca alone (Tilikum) was responsible for the deaths of 3 trainers. There’s been a number of recorded attacks by captive orca that involve biting and arm or leg, and dragging the human into the pool. A few snapped their jaws at trainers at the edge of the pool.
I can't think of any reason why they *should* attack us, since they don't want to eat us. Large sharks are adapted to eat marine mammals and we are a reasonable facsimile, but dolphins eat smaller fish for the most part.
In addition, we are such fish-out-of-water that we would not appear threatening to them. I have heard of mammals "playing" with people and drowning them as a result, but otherwise it doesn't seem like dolphins would get much from it.
A related question is why orcas ("killer whales") don't seem interested in attacking humans as much as you would expect, since they *do* eat mamm
I can't think of any reason why they *should* attack us, since they don't want to eat us. Large sharks are adapted to eat marine mammals and we are a reasonable facsimile, but dolphins eat smaller fish for the most part.
In addition, we are such fish-out-of-water that we would not appear threatening to them. I have heard of mammals "playing" with people and drowning them as a result, but otherwise it doesn't seem like dolphins would get much from it.
A related question is why orcas ("killer whales") don't seem interested in attacking humans as much as you would expect, since they *do* eat mammals. I expect this is more related to how infrequently people swim with them. I woud not want to test that relationship very many times....
Maybe it is because humans in the water, in particular divers, do not present any aggression toward the orcas. Then again it might simply be that the “badasses of the ocean” just have no fear of anything they encounter because they have the added advantage of having up to 15–20 other orcas nearby. But, it also might be because they realize that we are “fellow mammals” and they feel sorry for the “puny mammals” that we are. In accordance with the concept of Occam’s Razor, the simplest explanation is the most likely one, I tend to think they feel sorry for their fragile and feeble cousins.
Yes, if you have to. I say “if you have to” because you shouldn’t approach any wildlife at all. That being said, Orca’s in the wild have never attacked or hurt a human. There have been many instances of people swimming at the beach and orca’s swimming along side them, humans being in boats like a kayak and the orcas swimming around them. They just don’t attack humans and scientists have a few theories: We don’t taste good. Believe it or not, the same applies for how sharks perceive us. They don’t like the way humans taste at all. Shark attacks occur because the shark feels threatened in a way.
Yes, if you have to. I say “if you have to” because you shouldn’t approach any wildlife at all. That being said, Orca’s in the wild have never attacked or hurt a human. There have been many instances of people swimming at the beach and orca’s swimming along side them, humans being in boats like a kayak and the orcas swimming around them. They just don’t attack humans and scientists have a few theories: We don’t taste good. Believe it or not, the same applies for how sharks perceive us. They don’t like the way humans taste at all. Shark attacks occur because the shark feels threatened in a way.
Orcas are in fact, very picky eaters and humans don’t remind them of any food that offers any nutritional value. There were instances where the orca was actually hunting a human until it realized it was a human and turned around. And yes, they know the difference and not when it’s too late. If an orca was to hypothetically bite a surfer the orca would just spit the human out. The reason why orca’s don’t make that mistake is because they hunt and look for food using echolocation and sometimes hearing. They use hearing depending on the darkness and murkiness of the water where eyesight is useless. Orcas have exceptional hearing through those pinholes, which are their ears. Echolocation is a series of clicks and whistles that bounce off objects that identify their prey. Sometimes pods have other ways they work together hunting using echolocation. That echolocation sends a message saying that you are not food. Even if you amongst a group of seals the orcas are all eating for dinner, the orca would skip over you.
You can’t base your thoughts of orcas in the wild with orcas in captivity because the ones in captivity are dependent on a trainer. The Orca, who is the top of the food chain with no natural enemies, with diverse feeding habits, depends on a human trainer to feed it dead fish only after performing unnatural tricks. (Thankfully Sea World has finally put an end to and will begin phasing out the cetaceans they have captive. Meaning, they will no longer capture, purchase, or breed, these animals.) They’re pack animals always in pods who thrive on hunting and they’re subjected to living unnaturally in a tank too small which in turn, brings out unnatural behaviors. (Orcas in captivity always have their dorsal fin flopped over rather than straight up due to no room, depression, and sickness. In the wild you hardly close to never see that unless the animal is very very ill.) Locked in a tank brings out frustration/aggression, depression, as well as suicidal tendencies. The same humans would portray if locked in a cell or cage held captive for no reason you too would display the same traits to your captor. In a video from Sea World, you can witness the Orca trying to beach itself coming out of the water purposely. Another possibility is, In the wild orcas play with pod members and use their teeth so scientist are still unsure if the orcas in Sea World were not really meaning harm and playing or if it was premeditated. Orcas, like I stated, are social animals so they form bonds as they would their trainer. So it could of very well been a form of play with the animal not realizing its strength.
The Orca is an extremely smart dolphin with a brain bigger than humans with similar functionality a human brain has right up there with the intelligence of the Bottlenose Dolphin. Studies of their brains show they are capable of: Empathy, love, sadness, memories, self-awareness, communication skills beyond just clicks and whistles, social skills, organizational skills, and the ability to process sound, to name a few without going into depth.
I believe you‘ll find this interesting. There are a couple of very relevant facts to consider here.
- Man has been killed by an ENORMOUS number of species on this Earth. Everything from sea lions, frogs, kangaroos, spiders and skunks… to jellyfish, ostrich, coyotes and various types of plants.
- There is only one species on Earth that has the word “Killer” in their name; the Killer Whale (a.k.a. Orca).
With those two facts in mind, it is the Mother of All Ironies that there is not one single documented case of a wild Orca killing a human being. Ever.
*** There is of course the tragic case of the whale
I believe you‘ll find this interesting. There are a couple of very relevant facts to consider here.
- Man has been killed by an ENORMOUS number of species on this Earth. Everything from sea lions, frogs, kangaroos, spiders and skunks… to jellyfish, ostrich, coyotes and various types of plants.
- There is only one species on Earth that has the word “Killer” in their name; the Killer Whale (a.k.a. Orca).
With those two facts in mind, it is the Mother of All Ironies that there is not one single documented case of a wild Orca killing a human being. Ever.
*** There is of course the tragic case of the whale handler being killed by an Orca at Sea World. But that was totally due to the poor Orca having been driven mad by years of incarceration in a tiny enclosure. That would be enough to drive any intelligent being to a psychotic state.
No. Orcas are not dangerous to humans. Orcas don’t like the smell or the body structure of humans. There have been stories reported that people have been rescued from the frigid ocean and from predator attacks by Orcas. While it is true that Orcas rule the seas much like Odin rules Asgard, humans have nothing to fear from Orcas. Sharks, on the other hand, have every reason to be petrified of Orcas, as Orcas chump Sharks any and every chance they get.
With no exception, Orcas are the smartest mammals (or animals) in the entire world. Think about this, Orcas are approximately 10 meters long, (33
No. Orcas are not dangerous to humans. Orcas don’t like the smell or the body structure of humans. There have been stories reported that people have been rescued from the frigid ocean and from predator attacks by Orcas. While it is true that Orcas rule the seas much like Odin rules Asgard, humans have nothing to fear from Orcas. Sharks, on the other hand, have every reason to be petrified of Orcas, as Orcas chump Sharks any and every chance they get.
With no exception, Orcas are the smartest mammals (or animals) in the entire world. Think about this, Orcas are approximately 10 meters long, (33 feet) and 22,000 pounds (ten tons), and their intelligence is off the charts. They have everything that could go for them going for them; both size and intelligence. They’re so wonderfully intelligent that they have a swimming tactic that they employ when hunting seals. One Orca will be a spotter to locate a seal relaxing on the ice, then the other Orcas will thump the water hard, causing a wave, which knocks the seal off the ice and into the water, where the seal(s) will meet their demise.
They can and have but by and large it’s believed to be a case of mistaken identity. There is some footage of a orca chasing a young sea lion in knee high water (on a 7yo) the boy was waving to whoever was behind the camera when the orca hit the boy like a train. You can see one arm that doesn’t move at all for a brief second and the orca and boy are gone. “Tame” orcas have been known to kill their trainers. Not sure why. Perhaps mentally disturbed due to captivity but the killings showed planning.
1. Orcas do attack humans. There are cases of orcas in captivity killing their keepers. But this is in naturally abnormal close and prolonged contact. And this is of course not about tearing to pieces. This is abut grabbing and drowning.
2. I did not see statistics that must state than there are no reports of the orcas attacks on humans. But humans are not a natural prey for orcas - and we need to consider a chance of humans to encounter orcas in seawater. Say, compared to sharks.
Well, um…
Lions kill an estimated 200 people per year in Africa.
Most often this happens when the lion is ill or injured, and unable to hunt its usual prey, or said prey has been depleted due to human activity. The latter is becoming more frequent as Africa’s human population grows and encroaches onto lion habitat.
However, sometimes they’re just being opportunistic. It’s kind of hard not to when people are being stupid— like an American woman on safari in South Africa in 2015, who rolled her windows down to take pictures of a lioness. The big cat took advantage of the opening, and tragedy ensued
Well, um…
Lions kill an estimated 200 people per year in Africa.
Most often this happens when the lion is ill or injured, and unable to hunt its usual prey, or said prey has been depleted due to human activity. The latter is becoming more frequent as Africa’s human population grows and encroaches onto lion habitat.
However, sometimes they’re just being opportunistic. It’s kind of hard not to when people are being stupid— like an American woman on safari in South Africa in 2015, who rolled her windows down to take pictures of a lioness. The big cat took advantage of the opening, and tragedy ensued.
Imagine this WITHOUT the windows’ protection!
A few more recent examples of deadly encounters from the headlines:
- A 27-year-old man at Marataba Safari Lodge in South Africa was killed by lions in 2021.
- In 2020 in Tanzania, the parents of three children let them go into the forest by themselves to search for lost cattle. It didn’t end well.
- A lion in Tanzania entered a French man’s tent in 2015 and tore off his arm.
You may have also heard about the stories of lions that have become full-on-man-eaters. One of the most terrifying examples was a pride of lions in Njombe, Tanzania, who from 1932 to 1947 killed no less than 1,500 people. It’s thought that they originally targeted us due to competition, and after realizing how tasty we were, developed a culture of man-eating.
There was also Kenya’s infamous Tsavo man-eaters. In 1898, around 30 people were killed by a pair of lion brothers over a nine-month period. The frequent lion attacks actually halted construction on the Kenya Uganda railway, since the cats kept picking off workers. It is believed this may be because the lions had dental problems, or because their usual prey had been depleted.
So, when you’re in lion country, practicing proper safety is very important. You should stay in the car and keep your windows rolled up. Don’t walk around at night in areas where lions and other dangerous wildlife occur. When on safari, stick with the tour guides who know what they’re doing. Also, research a safari company beforehand!
Should you encounter a lion, don’t run. It’ll trigger their prey drive and they’re way faster than you— you’re pretty much sentencing yourself to death if you flee from a big cat. Instead, stand your ground. Wave your arms in the air and make lots of noise, perhaps while slowly backing away. Pepper spray can also be useful in getting the lion to back off.
If it goes in for the kill, punch and kick, aiming for the head and eyes. This might sound like it would be pretty useless, but there are many documented records of people fending off lion attacks this way.
This man survived a lion attack after punching it in the face!
In short, lions are majestic predators, and we should protect them and their habitat.
Just remember that to them, you’re nothing but 150 pounds of fresh monkey meat.
Wild orcas tend to show no aggression towards humans, even though they are intelligent and aware of the dangers posed by our advanced technology. This is possibly because they are friendly creatures, who do not see humans as a source of food. Moreover, orcas are social animals and they may learn from one another to steer clear of humans. Additionally, they may not be motivated to attack us since humans are not part of their natural prey.
Orcas are massive, dynamic carnivores and they are intelligent to a point of self-awareness, playfulness and vindictiveness, with an ability to strategize and develop culture and dialects.
So wherein lie the dangers to us if we go into their environment?
Size and dynamism: the same way you are in danger if you are sharing the road with a truck while cycling. They could hurt you by just accident if you are swimming or kayaking close to them.
Intelligence: as with other intelligent beings they can develop psychoses (as illustrated by Tilikum in Seaworld, who caused the death of at least two, potent
Orcas are massive, dynamic carnivores and they are intelligent to a point of self-awareness, playfulness and vindictiveness, with an ability to strategize and develop culture and dialects.
So wherein lie the dangers to us if we go into their environment?
Size and dynamism: the same way you are in danger if you are sharing the road with a truck while cycling. They could hurt you by just accident if you are swimming or kayaking close to them.
Intelligence: as with other intelligent beings they can develop psychoses (as illustrated by Tilikum in Seaworld, who caused the death of at least two, potentially three, people). There is one recorded incident of a person being bitten by an Orca, and he lived to tell the tale, but given their size and dynamic strength they have several ‘options’ should they want to harm us.
Carnivore: there are several different types of Orca populations and some of them are resident in a ‘limited’ area with an abundance of a specific kind of fish, like salmon in British Columbia and Herring in northern Norway. These Orcas are best known to us and they seem to have no interest in adding us to their menu.
Some Orcas are more transient, travelling greater distances along the coast, and feed mainly on sea mammals like seals and dolphins.
And then there are offshore Orcas is whom we know the least, but who have been seen attacking and feeding on Great White sharks and Baleen Whales (which earned them the name asesinas de ballenas (Spanish for whale killer, incorrectly translated to killer whale in English).
There have been unconfirmed reports of transient Orcas along the Canadian Pacific coast attacking swimming deer and moose and offshore Orcas in Antarctica trying to topple an ice floe with explorers on it, so I would not assume that Orcas wouldn’t consider us as potential food source. We just don’t know enough about them.
I have had an interest in and passion for Orcas from a very early age, but I have always admired them for what they are: beautiful, intelligent, powerful apex predators.
This is an old question that I just randomly came across. I decided to answer this because I always find it funny when people say that wild animals won’t do a thing based on our limited knowledge of the animal OR based on a handful of scientists who have encountered the animal and have not had any issues with them. I wanted to remind people of something. Human beings, scientists included, do NOT know everything! We ONLY go by RECORDED encounters to make rudimentary judgments about things we don’t understand. For example, it is 2020, BUT up until recently, scientists did not believe in large ro
This is an old question that I just randomly came across. I decided to answer this because I always find it funny when people say that wild animals won’t do a thing based on our limited knowledge of the animal OR based on a handful of scientists who have encountered the animal and have not had any issues with them. I wanted to remind people of something. Human beings, scientists included, do NOT know everything! We ONLY go by RECORDED encounters to make rudimentary judgments about things we don’t understand. For example, it is 2020, BUT up until recently, scientists did not believe in large rogue waves! Although many sailors across many years told stories about being hit by rogue waves, SCIENTISTS dismissed every single one of these sailors as liars! They didn’t call them liars outright, but they said they were exaggerating. It wasn’t until 1995 that the first SCIENTIFICALLY acceptable evidence was recorded of a rogue wave in Norway and it was only AFTER that RECORDED PROOF was seen that scientists acknowledged that they had been wrong all along. Up until that point, ALTHOUGH THE WAVES WERE OCCURRING, the scientific community just didn’t believe it was happening AND did not accept or believe ANYONE but themselves could say DEFINITIVELY that they were happening! THAT, to me, is the ABSOLUTE HEIGHT of arrogance, but it happens over and over with a myriad number of things! There are animals that scientists claim are extinct, that people have seen, pointed out and been discredited for. THEN, when some scientists “discovers” the species is still alive, they give that person an award! LOL…it happens ALL THE TIME! Fortunately, as we become more and more connected through social media, we are beginning to see things documented that we did not know existed and did not think possible!
The bottom line is that scientists simply do not know as much about ocean going animals as they do about land based animals. They also do not know everything there is to know about orcas, sharks or whales! Many scientists fear getting into the water with sharks, but there are children in some pacific island nations that LITERALLY get into the water and PLAY with sharks! They actually, in some cases, hold on to the fins of sharks and hitch rides! However, up until recently, scientists had never seen or imagined such behavior was possible! There are people in Africa who have trained hyenas and who have now had this “mythical” situation documented. NOW there are scientists willing to acknowledge that it is possible to train them when scientists, up until recently, said the animals were NOT trainable! Again, up until recently, many scientists though that komodo dragons only had bacteria in their saliva that killed animals and they were NOT venomous. Now, it has recently been CONCLUSIVELY PROVEN, that komodo dragons are VENOMOUS! I could go on and on and on with examples like this. The bottom line is that scientists ONLY KNOW what they have been able to PROVE conclusively and are GUESSING about other things.
I’m saying all of this to say that orcas are like any other animal in that they will eat whatever they can WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT! To say that an orca WON’T eat a human is not a certain thing. Orcas have ABSOLUTELY bitten people, BUT, just like rogue waves, we don’t as yet have SOLID EVIDENCE of an orca eating a human. In those cases where orcas attacked people, we didn’t get a chance to see if they would eat the person because the person got out of the water! There have only been about 4 RECORDED deaths of humans at the hands of an orca and 3 of those came from the same orca! However, with that said, WE DON’T TRULY KNOW WHAT AN ORCA WILL DO IF IT HAS THE CHANCE AND IS ANGRY! Orcas are VERY smart and, given the right set of circumstances, I have ZERO doubt that an upset orca might attack, kill AND CONSUME a human! As a further example, there was a time when no one believed that squid could or would attack a human. The TRUTH was that no human had been attacked or killed YET! If some fisherman goes off by himself and gets killed by a squid, who would know? Who would be there to tell that he was attacked and killed by a squid? The answer is NO ONE! Many fisherman have disappeared from their boats though! It wasn’t until someone was ATTACKED and was able to ACTUALLY FILM the attack that people realized that squid CAN, DO, WILL and HAVE attacked and killed people AND that those unscientific fisherman were telling the TRUTH when they talked about friends who were killed by squid or about squid attacks against them!
When scientists interact with orcas, they are RESPECTFUL of the animals! They take precautions and treat them with care! They also tend to observe the orcas in habitats where the orcas have their natural food sources. Think about this from a human perspective. If you come to see me and I have money, I am going to eat at the restaurant where I KNOW I like the food. If that restaurant closes, and I can’t cook at home, it is ONLY THEN that I may decide to try something NEW! The simple truth is that when we are hungry, we want what is most filling! We don’t just go and eat ANYTHING because it is there! I am a vegan and have been for decades, HOWEVER, if I am starving and I have the chance to eat a fish, do you think I wouldn’t? The orcas are the same way! These scientists see them when they are in an area where they can get their preferred food. Humans are NOT the preferred food! Does that mean they won’t eat us? Heck no! That just means that anyone who has been eaten hasn’t come back to tell us that they were eaten! In fact, up until that captured orca killed the very first person, people thought orcas would NOT kill a human! Then, after he killed the first one, they thought it wouldn’t happen again. Then, after he killed the second one, they thought it wouldn’t happen again! ONE orca killed THREE people who thought that behavior was a fluke! He was stressed! Now, do you think an orca wouldn’t kill and eat a human in the wild if it was angry or hungry enough? Please! EVERYTHING WILL EAT EVERYTHING if it is hungry enough! Orcas devour seals, sharks, whales, etc….a little human wouldn’t be much of a stretch! There is no reason to believe that orcas, or any other sea creature, when sufficiently hungry OR ANGRY, won’t eat a human. Some here have said that orcas lack the physical ability to eat a human. THIS IS FALSE! Orcas have eaten seals, MOOSE (swimming between islands), whales AND sharks! AND, those are just the animals we KNOW about! We have only scratched the SURFACE of understanding what these majestic animals do and are capable of! Orcas are ABSOLUTELY CAPABLE of eating humans! We just don’t have documented cases of this because no one has come back and told us they have been eaten and it hasn’t been recorded and put on YouTube….YET!
People say things like we are not a preferred meat item for an orca and other nonsense like that. Listen…orcas don’t have MENUS with pictures on them that list fat content! LOL! Those statements are so ridiculous to me because an animal that sees us in the water isn’t thinking about meal preference! They are trying to figure out what we are, if we are harmful to them and if we are prey or not. They don’t look at us and think “Hmmm…he looks really good, BUT he is a little on the slim side. Too little fat on the buttocks…I don’t think he will be good to eat so I’ll just move on.”! NO! NO! NO! That doesn’t happen! Same with polar bears. Polar bears are MASSIVE creatures! To them, we do NOT represent a good meal. However, given the right hunger level, a polar bear WILL attack and kill a human - even though we wouldn’t be its first choice for a meal!
In captivity, orcas have bit, attacked & killed humans. Orcas have also bit people in the wild, although the attacks were “claimed” and not “recorded”. Inevitably, we will have that person who gets attacked with cameras around. If a tree falls in the forest, does it really make a sound? The answer is YES, but people won’t believe the tree fell unless it is RECORDED! So, my answer to this old question is that I believe orcas ABSOLUTELY will eat a human if they are hungry or angry enough and, although it has likely happened somewhere in the world at some point in time already, it just hasn’t been recorded so the world has evidence of it YET! The time will come! Just wait and see!