In Iceland, a group of killer whales have adopted a baby pilot whale, a genus of cetacean also known as the «pilot dolphin».
Two years ago, a female killer whale adopted a baby pilot whale, a genus of cetacean belonging to the Delphinidae family. A first!
The marine mammal, known as Sædís, was first observed swimming with the calf in August 2021, in western Iceland. According to scientists, Sædís took care of the baby as if it were his own.
Two other killer whales, probably from Sædís’ group, were also present, but no other pilot whales were seen, which is unusual as pilot whales also travel in groups.
A study published in the journal “Canadian Journal of Zoology” explains that the relationship between the two species is very complex. Last June, a pod of killer whales were also spotted swimming alongside a baby pilot whale, Newsweek reports .
“ Among the orcas was what appeared to be a baby pilot whale. There were no pilot whale sightings in the area all day. Where is this baby from? (…) Absolutely amazing! explained the team of researchers from the Icelandic research program Orca.
And the least we can say is that this unexpected new encounter fascinates scientists: » We have already seen interactions between killer whales and pilot whales here in West Iceland, but generally with more large groups of pilot whales who showed intimidating behavior towards killer whales (…) ”, says the NGO Orca Guardians Iceland in the columns of the American magazine.
You may not know it, but pilot whales (also known as pilot dolphins) share one thing in common with killer whales: a very similar social structure.
For Steve Byrne, founder of the Global Orcas Society, the killer whales may have shown empathy for the small cetacean, which was surely abandoned by his group. As Geo points out , the killer whales preferred to take care of the baby, rather than eat it.
“ Orcas are a highly developed species. They understand, even have empathy for those who need it ”.