Post AwndRBUfgQitBH74e8 by ilovecomputers@xoxo.zone
(DIR) More posts by ilovecomputers@xoxo.zone
(DIR) Post #AwnSM4otyB8XXTwCB6 by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:24Z
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Humpback whales are crashing orca hunts – seemingly driven by an instinct to rescue other animals.It’s one of the ocean’s most unexpected mysteries: a seal is being hunted by a pod of killer whales… when out of nowhere, two humpback whales rush in, trumpeting, massive, and seemingly determined to stop the kill. (1/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSM5wNnqiP0yRgTg by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:24Z
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This isn’t a fluke. In a study of 115 documented cases, scientists observed humpbacks confronting orcas during hunts – and in nearly 90% of those cases, the humpbacks disrupted the attack. Even more surprising? Many of the animals they protected weren’t even their own kind. (2/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSM6yXxI2YDySvUO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T15:23:05Z
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@paninid Do orcas ever eat baby whales?
(DIR) Post #AwnSMDUJk51EQFNNqK by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:24Z
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Seals. Sea lions. Gray whale calves. Even sunfish. The humpbacks showed up, placed themselves between predator and prey, used their massive fins to shield the victims, and sometimes physically lifted them out of the water.And then? They left. No food. No reward. No obvious benefit. (3/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSMLclUYWtelOF7Y by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:24Z
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Some scientists believe this behavior started as a protective instinct – evolved to defend their own calves – and is now being applied to any creature in distress. Others think it may point to complex social awareness or empathy in humpbacks, something we’re only beginning to understand.As one researcher put it: “It’s almost as if humpbacks just don’t like bullies.” (4/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSMTOsa4Axm0xGaW by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:27Z
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These whales have even been seen traveling long distances just to intervene. One report described humpbacks swimming for hours to reach a killer whale attack, only to chase the orcas off and then disappear into the deep again.Are these acts of instinct, emotion, or something we can’t yet explain?We don’t know. But in a world where survival often means silence, the humpback’s defiance is loud, deliberate, and extraordinary. (5/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSMbU8WP8OqdTZtQ by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:04:28Z
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Via #NatGeo; Jason Bittel, “Did Humpbacks Try to Save a Seal from Orcas? See for Yourself.” 7 Sept. 2023 (6/6)
(DIR) Post #AwnSWTnRxiDttlDdxo by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T15:24:59Z
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@futurebird That’s further down in the thread: the whales do this to protect their own calves from orcas.
(DIR) Post #AwnSlmsZIPCFQRudCC by llewelly@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T15:27:47Z
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@futurebird @paninid yes. "Orcas also prey on larger species such as sperm whales, grey whales, humpback whales and minke whales.[84][41] On three separate occasions in 2019 orcas were recorded to have killed blue whales off the south coast of Western Australia, including an estimated 18–22-meter (59–72 ft) individual.[89] Large whales require much effort and coordination to kill and orcas often target calves."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca#Mammals_and_birds
(DIR) Post #AwnSwxBHKnKyYrzLQu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T15:29:48Z
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@paninid The orca looks so shocked in the photo "can't do ANYTHING in this ocean"
(DIR) Post #AwnYl3P2yU4M6o8aWG by karlauerbach@sfba.social
2025-08-03T16:34:50Z
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@futurebird @paninid Here in the Monterey Bay (California) we have a lot of Orcas and a lot of true whales such as Greys (which migrate past the bay twice a year) humpbacks (which seem ever-present), blues on occasion. And lots and lots of seals and sea lions and otters, etc. (The Monterey Bay is an amazing place for sea life. And from the shore one can often see whales spouting or their heads and flukes.)The grays, which are relatively small compared to humbacks, swim on courses intended to avoid the Orcas.Orcas seem to be rather mean critters - I hear that they attack (and presumably eat) the great white sharks around here.
(DIR) Post #AwndRBUfgQitBH74e8 by ilovecomputers@xoxo.zone
2025-08-03T17:27:14Z
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@futurebird it likely is AI. The original article has no such image https://archive.is/WfXpG
(DIR) Post #AwndiJSFL1nynI98JE by stekopf@mstdn.social
2025-08-03T17:30:24Z
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@futurebird @paninid I saw a documentary once about orcas attacking a mother whale (don't remember the species) en route with her calve. She tried to shield it from them but she was finally exhausted and the calve was to slow to escape.It was heartbreaking to see how she had to abandon her child.
(DIR) Post #AwnfnCRr0ybUQ8Q9cu by number6@fosstodon.org
2025-08-03T17:53:40Z
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@futurebird @paninid But the seal looks so calm. Like, "Oh, this again!"
(DIR) Post #AwnmOVQC2EqPhjoekS by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T18:50:24Z
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@karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid orcas ram great whites until the great whites are upside downthis induces a tonic immobility, the sharks freeze in a trance. "drowning" the shark as water doesn't pass over their gills anymorethen they eat the liver, exposed from the violent rammingafter an orca shows up, great whites will completely scatterone shark was apparently so scared it fled from california to hawaiihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark#Natural_threats
(DIR) Post #AwnmOWUU3ls31Kpb4i by karlauerbach@sfba.social
2025-08-03T18:55:30Z
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@benroyce @futurebird @paninid Thanks for that info.In my mind it raised the image of chained Prometheus, but rather than an eagle devouring his liver every day it was an orca.
(DIR) Post #AwnmOXdNoAaEZE0DaK by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T18:58:14Z
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@karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid yes!and it's striking to me that we have this image of the great white shark as amongst the fiercest of predators, and massive, a ruler of the seasand yet we have this other creature that treats them like squeaky toys
(DIR) Post #AwnmOYgbtel7pWWJFo by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2025-08-03T19:00:43Z
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@benroyce @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid At least the great whites don’t start suffer the indignity of being treated like orca apparently treat salmon.. as a hat
(DIR) Post #AwnmOZcOQoyoijYSJs by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T19:02:19Z
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@GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid i'm also reminded of that video of orcas throwing around a baby seal, still alive at one point but probably not for long, like throwing a baseball to one another, almost like a competition: who can throw this thing higher and farther
(DIR) Post #AwnmOanm1zg4OJt3hI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T19:07:35Z
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@benroyce @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid Sea cats. They are sea cats.
(DIR) Post #AwnoABp8InEcmFmahM by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T19:23:47Z
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@violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid #orcas have killed humans:only in captivitywhich makes sense and i don't blame thembut yes, very odd we have no documentation of an #orca killing a human in the wildwe have video of them stalking kayaks, but it seems mere curiosityi think this video tells the whole story:seal deathly afraid of orcas, human deathly afraid of orcas, orcas stalking both, silently underneath in one frightening moment:
(DIR) Post #AwnoAD0rseDSSwHTd2 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T19:27:29Z
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@benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid Maybe there is no documentation because they are good at hiding the evidence?
(DIR) Post #AwnoVcoN9pIMYkeFWa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T19:31:22Z
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@benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid Kind feel like when the seals on the boat they look up at her like "oh were you going to eat that one? or nah?"Poor seal.
(DIR) Post #Awnocxp9QpGrkvVnPM by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T19:32:40Z
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@futurebird @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid "bob, you idiot. they had a cellphone, there could be a video. go back to the sunken boat and retrieve it and we'll feed it to ralph the octopus and his mighty beakdo you understand what happens if a diver retrieves the phone and these hairless apes figure out our little fun prank game?"
(DIR) Post #AwnomsfVSFyif6jHG4 by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T19:34:27Z
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@futurebird @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid yeah at first i was like "why are you telling the seal to leave?"then i understood being capsized by an orca pod in a seal hunting frenzy is no bueno
(DIR) Post #AwnoumYM4jPK0p9U8m by adriano@lile.cl
2025-08-03T19:35:52Z
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@futurebird @benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid I remember when that video first went viral, people commenting that the woman was fucked because she couldn’t (legally) touch the seal nor take it away from there.
(DIR) Post #Awnp0aSnw8sCFrK8TA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T19:36:58Z
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@adriano @benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid Lady (to seal): "you gotta go!"Seal: That's exactly what I'm trying NOT to do today.
(DIR) Post #Awnp5sTAQ23TXy13ZY by adriano@lile.cl
2025-08-03T19:37:54Z
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@futurebird @benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid “you first. I don’t know how to go, pls show me”
(DIR) Post #AwnqmbSzbuwVDgs6Fs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T19:56:47Z
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@violetmadder @marjolica @benroyce @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid They do eat people but keep it secret because they see how the sharks are treated for just having a few little nibbles.
(DIR) Post #Awo24lCHGr2C6eui1I by ramsey@phpc.social
2025-08-03T16:35:18Z
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@Osteopenia_Powers What’s the source of the image, @paninid?
(DIR) Post #Awo24mMavyshiwkSjw by lschiff@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-08-03T17:24:25Z
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@ramsey @Osteopenia_Powers @paninid Yes, this is what I'd like to know. Proper referencing for seemingly exceptional bits of data is essential, otherwise it's completely untrustworthy no matter now much we want to believe it.
(DIR) Post #Awo24nOP6jvGuqbQCO by paninid@mastodon.world
2025-08-03T17:26:13Z
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@lschiff @ramsey @Osteopenia_Powers It probably is an AI-generated image; it was sourced via the “From Quarks to Quasars” feed on Facebook.
(DIR) Post #Awo24oMJVzqRuedGa0 by ilovecomputers@xoxo.zone
2025-08-03T17:37:38Z
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@paninid @lschiff @ramsey @Osteopenia_Powers Here is the original article https://archive.is/WfXpGI’m able to watch the video clip on Apple News and never saw anything this dramatic of a shot (it was mainly drone footage). Turns out the humpbacks failed to disrupt the hunt and the orcas managed to kill the seal. The narrator said the orcas even showed off their kill to the humpbacks as if to signal them of their failure.
(DIR) Post #Awo63kTQsGTPOFi8Ei by taoko@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T22:43:32Z
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@benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @futurebird @paninid Meanwhile, this guy has quite the opposite attitude https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalsBeingGeniuses/s/1CnNXxpBPd
(DIR) Post #Awo63llu34qHPpMOfI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T22:47:59Z
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@taoko @benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid His boat has sides, it's not like an iceberg where the whale could just get up on it. It's also a bigger boat.
(DIR) Post #AwoAnsiWxO3w5v1gYq by flyingsaceur@ioc.exchange
2025-08-03T23:39:47Z
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@stekopf @futurebird @paninid [squinting at quote] the article appears to take great pains to avoid implying that whales can hold a grudge
(DIR) Post #AwoAnuDlMkdil4e8si by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-03T23:41:09Z
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@flyingsaceur @stekopf @paninid They have huge brains, know their way around the whole ocean, they have friends, family and relationships. They communicate with each other. Why is a grudge so hard to imagine?Pica, my cat, has grudges.
(DIR) Post #AwoDTSSt9VQakGf9SS by flyingsaceur@ioc.exchange
2025-08-04T00:11:04Z
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@futurebird @stekopf @paninid Exactly. Crows will carry a grudge for years. For whales it’s got to be an art form, I think there’s even a novel about itOrcas figuring out a new strategy to hunt humpback whales, and humpback whales escalating by harassing orcas to the point of starvation, only seems like anthropomorphism to those who assume intent is uniquely human
(DIR) Post #AwoEDhGyQgPzzY8cQS by jbond@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T17:25:15Z
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@paninid So the Humpbacks are militant Antifa, right?
(DIR) Post #AwoEDiC30U4WqYqCO0 by Mabande@mastodon.social
2025-08-03T18:13:16Z
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@jbond @paninid We've never seen a humpback interrupt orcas sinking a yacht, sooo…
(DIR) Post #AwoEDns3theOSJXK4G by geomant@norden.social
2025-08-03T19:13:45Z
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@Mabande @jbond @paninid Orcas hunting sealsHumpback: Not on my watch, you little punk!Orcas sinking the filthy richHumpback: No officer, can't say I ever noticed any of that. Such a shame.
(DIR) Post #AwoPB326AVUE6f7Txg by 20002ist@thepit.social
2025-08-04T02:22:12Z
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@futurebird @flyingsaceur @stekopf @paninid Moby-Dick says hi. #LittleLowerLayer
(DIR) Post #AwoPKlZvuyFUrva0HI by aceryz@social.hackerspace.pl
2025-08-04T02:23:56Z
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@futurebird @benroyce @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid That's precisely what I've been saying for years! They're too smart to leave evidence. One should never trust an orca. C'mon, they have "killer" in their name!
(DIR) Post #AwoPp44LjcSCu6FoQ4 by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-04T02:29:01Z
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@aceryz @futurebird @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid their face is literally a robber's ski mask!🤭
(DIR) Post #AwoPp5MouQp4vfu4qe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-04T02:29:27Z
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@benroyce @aceryz @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid That is profiling. Shamu did nothing wrong.
(DIR) Post #AwoPsmOrN1WRGJcRJw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-04T02:30:08Z
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@benroyce @aceryz @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid An orca DID NOT pay me to post that. And I am fine. I'm not scared to go near the water. Everything is fine.
(DIR) Post #AwoQ5JF95MQobC39YO by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2025-08-04T02:32:16Z
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@futurebird @benroyce @aceryz @violetmadder @karlauerbach @paninid https://www.indy100.com/media-library/orcas-are-now-attacking-boats-every-day-even-sinking-some-of-them.jpg?id=34148228&width=1200&height=600&coordinates=0%2C103%2C0%2C203
(DIR) Post #AwoQ7bHB0kQj6c5mQy by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-04T02:32:44Z
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@futurebird @aceryz @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid {Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" from "Free Willy" plays in head}
(DIR) Post #AwoQLDswm48IcAFrU0 by benroyce@mastodon.social
2025-08-04T02:35:13Z
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@futurebird @aceryz @violetmadder @GhostOnTheHalfShell @karlauerbach @paninid
(DIR) Post #AwoV1SiWQ56kasm848 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-04T03:27:36Z
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@alienghic @benroyce haha ha nooo why would you say something like that???
(DIR) Post #AwoWfL7kAc8ia79SG8 by ramsey@phpc.social
2025-08-03T16:40:33Z
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@paninid I think it’s interesting that one of the most significant survival traits that hominids evolved was the ability to form community, share burdens, and have empathy for others. Arguably, it’s the trait that allowed us to outcompete other homo species. Now, we’re starting to see (notice) this in other mammals, especially cetaceans, and I wonder if we’re seeing them in the middle of their own evolution to a more sapient species.
(DIR) Post #AwoWfMY0sQkMzsRwqO by tomjennings@tldr.nettime.org
2025-08-04T03:46:11Z
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@ramseyIts always been there, humans just basically refuse to see it. @paninid
(DIR) Post #AwoXmiQw0K4Mr8D0ng by skua@mastodon.social
2025-08-04T03:58:39Z
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@futurebird @paninid At the skin cancer clinic waiting for ... moderate alterations to my birthday suit.And what's on the waiting room TV but a doco about Monteray Bay orcas hunting and killing and eating a(nother) baby whale! But my "calm and relaxed" frame of mind?With crows demonstrating long term memory of "crow-harmers", and our horses having galloped over a staffy who had the week before done "Staffy bites horse's nose" I'm sure the whales are pissed & looking for revenge.
(DIR) Post #Awow3DYyQkFWw6N3Ca by eruwero@ieji.de
2025-08-04T08:30:36Z
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@tomjennings @ramsey @paninid makes it easier to mindlessly kill other animals