As apex predators of the Salish Sea, killer whales rarely have to worry about anything coming between them and their next meal. But for one family of orcas, dinner plans hit a ‘hump’, when an unexpected guest arrived – more interested in fighting than feasting.
During an Oct. 4 whale-watching tour west of Sooke in the Juan de Fuca Strait, passengers got a front-row seat to a spectacular standoff between a pod of Bigg’s killer whales and a humpback named Nike – who appeared to be defending a harbour seal taking shelter in a kelp bed.
Throughout the encounter, Nike was seen repeatedly positioning himself between the seal and the pod of five whales.
“It seemed kind of like an attempt to protect this harbour seal,” said Mollie Cameron from Sooke Coastal Explorations, who caught the action on camera.
For Cameron, who spends seven days a week on the water, it was her first time observing Nike intervene in a hunt – but not her first humpback-orca showdown.
While the motivation behind such behaviour remains uncertain, Cameron says many in the whale-watching community believe humpbacks may recognize mammal-eating killer whales as top predators.
“And so they potentially are trying to protect these animals,” she said.
The Salish Sea isn’t the only place where this has been observed. Around the world, humpbacks have been documented charging into killer whale hunts – sometimes to ‘protect’ seals, sea lions, or even grey whale calves.
Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, says that while it’s tempting to see humpbacks as ocean heroes, their actions may be driven by self-preservation rather than altruism – Nike included.
“It's not likely that Nike was intervening purely out of the goodness of his heart,” she says. “Killer whales are a natural predator of humpbacks (mostly when they are small calves), so by denying them a meal and discouraging them from being in the area, he is also likely protecting himself and other humpback whales.
“Think of it as ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”
Unfortunately for the Sooke seal, Nike’s efforts – whatever the motivation – were in vain. The hungry killer whales won the battle and their meal.
“It's very strange, but there's like a smell of cucumber and watermelon in the air after a predation event,” explains Cameron. “It's the blubber from the seals, they emit that scent.”
The killer whales involved in the hunt included the T46B1s – a family of four, which includes a calf estimated to be less than a month old. Also accompanying them was cousin T46C2 ‘Sam’, who often travels with them.
Despite losing the seal, Nike wasn’t ready to concede defeat. He chased the orcas for at least a mile after their kill. “Potentially trying to intimidate them out of the area,” speculates Cameron. “To see that big humpback chasing a pod with a newborn calf – it was pretty incredible.”
Encounters between the two species aren’t always so tense, Cameron added.
“Sometimes we’ll see killer whales plowing right through a big group of humpbacks without any reaction at all,” she explained. “Other times, the humpbacks make a sound we call trumpeting ... the theory is that they do that when they're irritated.”
She believes it often comes down to personality. “All animals behave as individuals, so some humpbacks may be more tolerant of having orcas in the vicinity, and some might not.”
One local humpback in particular, named Valiant, is known for her boldness, attempting to disrupt orca hunts.
“Personally, I think she just doesn't like killer whales at all,” says Cameron. “She's actually got rake marks from orcas’ teeth on the underside of her fluke, so she could have some personal vendetta with them.”
Whether Nike’s actions were valiant or self-serving, the rare encounter left a lasting impression on everyone onboard.
“It's amazing to see them in such close proximity, especially because the humpback whale is just so much larger than even one of our biggest killer whales,” said Cameron.
“And this was a really cool encounter … I think it's definitely one of my favourites of the year.”
