N.S. researcher identifies first recorded case of an orca caring for pilot whale baby
A Halifax-based biologist who helped to document the first recorded case of an orca caring for the offspring of another species says the finding sheds light on a complex animal relationship.
Elizabeth Zwamborn, a researcher at Dalhousie University, is part of a research group that spotted a female orca -- or killer whale -- caring for a newborn long-finned pilot whale calf off Iceland when there were no other pilot whales nearby.
Zwamborn said researchers believe the orca may have tried to adopt the newborn pilot whale, as the orca has never been spotted with a calf of her own.
"We didn't know this was something they did," Zwamborn said in an interview Thursday.
"We have never seen killer whales caring for another species, we've never seen cross-species adoption with killer whales -- probably because they're an apex predator."
The team's findings have been recently published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, in the article "First account of apparent alloparental care of a long-finned pilot whale calf."
The pilot whale calf was seen swimming in a "protected position" right next to the killer whale in August 2021 near the western coast of Iceland.
Zwamborn said this behaviour is typically seen in a parent and offspring duo, as it allows the calf to swim easily and requires the adult whale to exert extra energy to keep the newborn close by.
"This is how we know it's a caring or nurturing behaviour and it doesn't mean she wants to save (the pilot whale) for a snack later," she said.
Zwamborn said that while researchers can't know for sure, she and her colleagues suspect the killer whale took the newborn away from its parents.
She said it's possible that this particular orca has been unsuccessful in either getting pregnant or keeping a newborn orca alive and went out in search of its own whale calf.
"I'd love to be able to ask her why," Zwamborn said of the killer whale's adoption of this pilot whale offspring.
"My best guess is that there's jealousy or longing for having a calf of her own. This may be her way of finding a substitute to that."
Zwamborn said this discovery may shed some light on another strange behaviour that researchers have been seeing in whales in Iceland. She said pilot whales have been recorded chasing killer whales, which confused researchers given that killer whales are the dominant predator.
Knowing that an orca has adopted a pilot whale calf, Zwamborn said it's possible that pilot whales are grouping together to chase off orcas in order to protect their young from abduction.
In the case of this adopted pilot whale, because the calf appeared underfed when it was spotted and it has not been seen alongside the killer whale since, Zwamborn said it's likely the calf has died.
"We humans love to think of this as a kind of Disney-like, heartwarming adoption story," she said.
"But unfortunately, the only time it's successful is when a whale already has young of its own, or they've just lost their young," she said, which is when a whale is still producing milk and can feed a newborn.
Researchers say killer whales and long-finned pilot whales have similar social structures, but the 2021 sighting was the first time scientists have recorded an orca caring for a pilot whale calf.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.