Sperm Whales Unleash Cloud of Diarrhoea to Fend Off Orcas

Sperm whales (Scientific name: Physeter macrocephalusare), the largest of the toothed whales are considered apex predators. The greatest dangers they face are usually man-made, such as fishing nets, boat strikes, and oil spills. 

 

Orcas (Scientific name: Orcinus orca), however, have been known to punch against their weight and will sometimes attack these cetaceans. 

 

Jennah Tucker (right), a marine biologist with Oceans Blueprint (a marine and environmental sciences research organization), who was on board the Naturaliste Charters tour boat, which was off the southern coast of Western Australia – specifically Bremer Canyon, a marine life hotspot about 70 kilometres offshore from the town of Bremer Bay – on March 19 witnessed a rarely recorded event of a sperm whale pod defending themselves against orcas.

 

The cetaceans had formed a circle with their tail flukes pointing outward, a defensive position known as a rosette.

 

Then a massive dark bubble rose to the surface. It was initially thought to be a blood bubble from an attack. 

 

When scientists reviewed footage of the attack, they realized the bubble wasn't blood; it was feces. The whales had actually defecated at will, creating a "cloud of diarrhoea" and at the same time, fanning their tails around through it to fend off or confuse the predators. Biologists call this technique defense defecation. 

 

The primary diet of sperm whales is squid, which accounts for the red color. Whatever the orcas thought it was, they weren't willing to endure it to continue the attack – they all decided to quit.

 

It is rare for orcas to try to take down sperm whales, with only a few documented cases around the world. And this incident highlights the weird and wonderful interactions that go on in nature mostly unseen by human eyes.

 

Sperm whales will also apparently use defensive defecation against annoying photographers. As this BBC Sounds video from nine years ago showed:

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