▲ 148 r/orcas
Toñi was spotted yesterday
Toñi, an Iberian orca who appeared with a shotgun wound was spotted yesterday, according to the post, she appears to be well.
Video belongs to Bolhastours on insta
u/UmmHelloIGuess — 10 days ago
r/orcas
▲ 158 r/orcas
Orcas known as the 27s hunting in northern Shetland, Scotland on July 18th
Helmed by older female (and likely mother and grandmother) 027 Vaila, these killer whales spent hours scouring the shoreline for seals in gorgeous evening light. In recent years, more and more photographers and wildlife enthusiasts have documented orcas around Shetland, who appear to be thriving and are distinct and isolated from Scotland's other orcas, the West Coast Community. Many of these orcas (but not all of them!) make seasonal movements between Iceland and Scotland. Photos by delphinus_darran.
u/Queasy-Emu6531 — 10 days ago
▲ 16 r/orcas
Orcatober - Day 5: T65A5 Indy
A month ago, I posted a video of Indy attempting to prey-share with people on a boat. So today, let's take a deeper look at T65A5 Indy.
Indy was first seen in March 2014 with his mother, T65A Artemis. He is the second youngest and the fifth offspring of T65A.
He dispersed from his family around five years old, in October 2019. This is unusual, especially for males. Males typically stay with their mom their entire lives. They are real mama boys.
Secondly, Indy was only five when he began to disperse from his family. That is incredibly young for an orca to leave their family.
But it isn't unheard of for transients to leave their mothers, but combined with his young age, it certainly becomes more interesting.
Despite this, Indy is doing well. Indy often swims with his family unit and matriline, but these are usually temporary reunions. Indy prefers being on his own or socializing with other matrilines. Indy likes being around distant family members, does some stuff on his own, and then returns to his family for a while.
T65A5 Indy (left) and T49A2 Jude (right)
However, Indy is also known for getting himself in trouble.
In May 2022, Indy got trapped in a narrow lagoon by the Port Angeles Paper Mill. After a minus tide, Indy became trapped inside the lagoon overnight. High tide came, and he was able to swim free
In 2023, Indy was seen once again playing with a crab pot and got himself entangled. Indy managed to free himself and was left unharmed. And that hasn't stopped him from playing with crab traps. He still enjoys grabbing crab pots, dragging them around, and pulling buoys underwater. For hours.
Indy doing Indy things. Credit: Kelsey Scott
Besides being independent, Indy is also known for doing "Indy-things."
And that includes harassing humpbacks, playing with crab traps, swimming in shallow water, coming up to boats, prey-sharing with humans, and doing acrobatics.
Besides that, Indy has been reported attempting to prey-share with humans on multiple occasions. He could simply be showing off his kills or trying to establish social connections. Or he's curious about how we'd react.
Prey-sharing is common among orcas, and orcas trying to share prey with humans isn't unheard of, either.
Now, why is Indy like this?
Truthfully, we don't know exactly.
He could just be a weirdo who enjoys spending time away from his family. He may also be a rebellious teenager who would rather spend his time goofing around.
Another theory is group size. Dispersal can happen within a year or two after a new calf is born, likely to regulate group size and keep it at an optimal size. However, it's usually one of the older males or females with a calf of her own that disperses. Not a five-year-old.
Another theory ties into the above-mentioned one. Maybe Indy doesn't enjoy not being the baby. While he socializes with other matrilines and pods, he doesn't seem to spend too much time associating with calves younger than him.
Whatever the case, it's very obvious he isn't lost. He returns to his matriline frequently, and seems to leave on his own account. He's doing well on his own.
And maybe Indy is just a cute weirdo.
u/xcheveryx — 10 days ago