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The killer whale club

Fish-eating killer whales live in stable family groups called pods that contain an
average of ten individuals. However, despite spending the vast majority of their
time within their own pod, killer whales have recently been discovered to have
social inclinations outside their group as well, and to have taken a liking to a spot
located in the Avacha Gulf, off the coast of Russia, for casual meeting.

Several years ago, scientists were amazed to discover up to 100 of the creatures,
joined together in a superpod lurking in the waters. At first they had no real
explanation as to why the whales were engaging in this type of behaviour. It was
unlikely that the whales were gathering for protection, as they have no natural
predators. And the suggestion that they were gathering to hunt for food was
dismissed, since a larger concentration of whales diminishes the amount of food
available to each one.

However, a new scientific study comes with a possible explanation the whales
gather at the meeting place in order to form, grow, and maintain social ties with
each other. At least ten such groups come together in order for the massive
assembly in Russia to take place.

This phenomenon is not limited to Russian waters. Similar gatherings have been
discovered in British Columbia, Alaska, Iceland and Antarctica, and can take place
in any area where large concentrations of orca pods appear. Experts from the
Moscow State University and the Far East Russia Orca project took an interest in
the clubs and carefully observed the whales in Russia.

They noticed that the animals moved around in small groups of two to six
individuals. In every direction, you see groupings of two to six killer whales
surfacing, spouting, then dipping below the surface. Each grouping has a focal
mother figure surrounded by her offspring, stated Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Society (WDCS) project co-director Erich Hoyt.

It was observed that the whales rarely herded fish and fed when they gathered in
the superpod. However, they did interact much more during these gatherings,
which lasted from a few hours to almost half a day. When meeting killer whales
from other family pods, they made contact with each other, swam in synchrony and
rubbed flippers much more.

The superpods are the whale equivalent of social clubs. These clubs could help
them stay acquainted, but could have other functions that we need to learn about.
Understanding more about their social lives, including their reproduction, will be
crucial to our future understanding of them and our ability to keep their population
healthy, Hoyt concludes.