In extraordinary drone footage, whale researchers appear to have seen a pod of killer whales help free a humpback whale from a rope that was entangling its tail.
At first, researchers at Whale Watch Western Australia thought the killer whales were there to attack and kill the humpback whale, which was visibly injured and weakened, precisely the kind of easy kill that predators like killer whales rarely miss.
The first orca on the scene, a male nicknamed Hookfin by the researchers, was soon followed by another male, named Blade, who approached the injured whale at high speed from just below.
"The queen matriarch came and walked towards the humpback whale, causing the white water to churn and then something incredible happened...a large piece of the green rope that was entangling the humpback whale was floating freely behind him." wrote Whale Watch Western Australia. in your description. of the event attached to the YouTube video.
Shortly after, the group of killer whales continued on their way, leaving the humpback whale unharmed, which calmly moved away in the opposite direction.
"The incredible fact that the killer whale managed to remove most of this whale's rope before letting it swim free was truly fascinating," the group wrote. "Did the orca deliberately save this humpback whale or was the decision made due to her ill health?" the effort of the hunt was not worth the energetic reward in the end."
This is an interesting question as orcas, also known as killer whales, are apex predators and pack hunters that are more than capable of taking down much larger prey. In fact, according to Live Science, the original nickname given to them by sailors was "whale killers," after observing their ferocious and daring attacks on their prey.
Pods of killer whales have been observed biting off the fins of a larger whale and flipping it onto its back to drag it underwater, Live Science notes. Unable to surface to breathe, the whale drowns, which is remarkable since killer whales also need to surface to breathe, but in this case they are able to outlive their prey.
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It's an open question whether orcas were saving the whale or just didn't feel like eating it, but it wouldn't be the first time orcas have exhibited complex social behaviors.
Killer whales are particularly intelligent and appear to have similar, well-developed regions in their brains that are normally associated with emotional intelligence and empathy in humans.
They also have very complex social development that could allow for interspecific cooperation, even with species they would otherwise feed on. After all, we humans eat all kinds of animals, but we are still capable of feeling empathy and even affection for the animals that are part of our diet, even to the point of giving up meat altogether.
That being said, killer whales are still some of the biggest tyrants in the sea. As Whale Watch Western Australia notes, after their encounter with the humpback whale, the group "spent a rowdy day socializing together and harassing Sunfish in the square."