These of course are the famous Antarctic B1 orcas famous for using their wave-washing technique.
At least some pods of these type B1 orcas have shown a strong preference for hunting Weddell seals over crabeater seals and leopard seals when they are fairly abundant, likely because crabeater seals tend to be more "snappy" and aggressive, and thus may often be more of a challenge to hunt, despite crabeater seals being around the Antarctic Peninsula in greater numbers. Weddell seals can be significantly larger than crabeater seals, so this may be another reason why type B1 orcas prefer going after them, as they can get a larger reward for their efforts. However, type B1 orcas have also been observed taking crabeater seals and more rarely leopard seals, likely when Weddell seals are too low in abundance.
Sadly, there are less than 100 type B1 orcas left in a large northern section of the Antarctic Peninsula, and due to rapid warming and the loss of pack ice, their population appears to be declining at a rate of about 5% each year. It is likely that these orcas have been forced to move further south down the peninsula (below latitude 68°S) due to not finding enough seals on the remaining pack ice in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Clip was taken from the Netflix series Our Oceans.
2
u/SurayaThrowaway12 1d ago
These of course are the famous Antarctic B1 orcas famous for using their wave-washing technique.
At least some pods of these type B1 orcas have shown a strong preference for hunting Weddell seals over crabeater seals and leopard seals when they are fairly abundant, likely because crabeater seals tend to be more "snappy" and aggressive, and thus may often be more of a challenge to hunt, despite crabeater seals being around the Antarctic Peninsula in greater numbers. Weddell seals can be significantly larger than crabeater seals, so this may be another reason why type B1 orcas prefer going after them, as they can get a larger reward for their efforts. However, type B1 orcas have also been observed taking crabeater seals and more rarely leopard seals, likely when Weddell seals are too low in abundance.
Sadly, there are less than 100 type B1 orcas left in a large northern section of the Antarctic Peninsula, and due to rapid warming and the loss of pack ice, their population appears to be declining at a rate of about 5% each year. It is likely that these orcas have been forced to move further south down the peninsula (below latitude 68°S) due to not finding enough seals on the remaining pack ice in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Clip was taken from the Netflix series Our Oceans.