The team films something not seen before: an hours-long teaching session between adults and their young. Killer whales are one of only a handful of animals that actively teach their young, and it’s the females that take on this duty, ensuring the survival of their families.
Features
Pack-Ice Killer Whale Sounds -- on Film
This is the first time pack-ice killer whale vocalizations have been recorded.
What Is Wave Washing: How Killer Whales Hunt Seals
Killer whales rarely risk hunting leopard seals - Antarctica's second-top predator.
Expedition Killer Whale
A team of scientists and filmmakers explore the Antarctic waters to learn more about killer whales.
TRANSCRIPT
- This does not look like normal hunting behavior.
Now, Jenny uses her teeth to gently pull the seal into the water.
- The same way that we can hold something very, very carefully with our fingers.
They're able to do that with their teeth and jaws.
- She moves back and let's the calves have a go.
- You know, it's a visual learning experience.
So I'll show you and then I'll hang back, and then you repeat.
- Teaching behavior like this has never been filmed before.
- This could be over so quickly, and yet it's drawn out because of the learning that's happening.
I think one of them has it in its mouth.
- Using her snout, Jenny swims the seal away from the safety of the ice.
- Seeing how the calf comes next to mom when she's pushing the seal here.
- Then releases it again, letting the calves practice the maneuver.
- They repeatedly let prey go in order for the young to learn, and that's a real gamble for them because that prey could get away and then that's a meal lost.
- Killer whales are one of only a handful of animals that actively teach their young, and it's the females that take on this duty ensuring the survival of their families.
- Mothers and grandmothers and aunts take a lot of time teaching their offspring exactly how to do these complex behaviors.
Similar to us as humans, they have culture in their society and that they're passing on information to one another that is benefiting not only themselves, but other group members.
- Killer whale culture relies on this transfer of knowledge from generation to generation.
It's how pack-ice killer whales have developed the most sophisticated hunting strategy on the planet.
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