The Humpback and the Killer | Radiolab Podcast

[@allthewayfrom]

This was very well done, thank you! Maybe the Humpbacks are trying to reduce the population of Orcas and/or increase the population of the Orca’s prey. There might be an imbalance of species in the oceans and the Humpbacks are helping to restore it. Humpbacks might also be compassionate and altruistic. At least some of them. And as with humans, those Humpbacks who were bullied (attacked by Orcas) can become fierce protectors of those who suffer the same fate. I’m continually awestruck at the intelligence and complexity of all Life forms. The closer we observe them, the more amazing they become. But I’m deeply disheartened that our wondrous Biosphere (our Home) continues to heat-up and destabilize due to the continued shortsightedness and dereliction of certain business and political “leaders.” Anyway, thank you to everyone who produced this amazing podcast!

[@nooooooooope3809]

What's even more interesting is that it apparently isn't just with orcas. There is an incredible story of a humpback who rescued a woman from a gigantic tiger shark. She wasnt even aware of the shark, it just came to protect her. What's even more incredible is that when it came back a long time later (like months), it appeared to recognize her.

[@user-fi6vl6uf5g]

Annie, would you please host more of these? You'r personally jumps thru the broadcast and truly is a mood brightener! I have only found 4 with you in my search. Can you share links to more? How fun you are!

[@blackbird163]

Absolutely phenomenal episode. 👏 wonderful job

[@EmilyKresl]

Well they say elephants mourn their own dead, maybe humpbacks are like the elephant of the ocean. Only in their world killer whales are like lions and they're sick of their crap. We're only just now kind of understanding animals on land, it's going to take us a while to understand the animals in the ocean. What is really interesting to me is how the other whales answered the sos call , just goes to show you they really do have a language we don't understand.

[@scarlettsworld6207]

This was really interesting well done.

[@masterdangus5757]

At first my theory was that the humpbacks are just defending territory. By making it more difficult for a pod of killer whales to hunt in a specific area, they are attempting to force the killers to search for an easier meal, hopefully somewhere far away from the humpbacks and their calves. That said, the third story about the humpbacks staying with the gray whale carcass definitely had me second guessing my hypothesis. Incredibly interesting animals and another awesome show!

[@moselymorahashi827]

They feud just like ppl do! Humans used to feud with wolves hardcore. We still feud with leopards and coyotes, and rats, mosquitos, so fourth

[@nooooooooope3809]

​@@moselymorahashi827Staying with the body of the deceased goes beyond a feud. And, at least in human behavior, grief is necessary to have a feud, which means you are postulating that these creatures also experience complex emotions, such as grief, which I would agree with. However, you are also reducing these creatures to anthropocentric motivations. It is very possible that humpbacks experience emotions that are not present in humans.

[@scQue]

I love how--even in how globally reaching this story is--you're examining this (also) microcosm of whale-world in ways that can unfold in the human psyche to describe many things within the human experience. Microcosm to microcosm... but what is the bigger macrocosm that we are all missing?

[@titaochen5249]

I love how after nine months nobody noticed the typo in the title and/or bothered to correct it.

[@moselymorahashi827]

This animal is not only and earthling, its also a social mammal, that can talk, and has the capacity for highly developed social mammalian culture

[@allangray6764]

The behavior described at the end is soul crushingly sad.

[@rellie_90]

*Amazing!* 🥹

[@jeaniec.6494]

Love this so much!!!🐳🐋

[@moselymorahashi827]

This is obviously a case of the killer whale Clantons vs the Humback McCalls. It’s a family fing feud dude, duh

[@moselymorahashi827]

When are they going to slip some cameras with gps in there, and make a dang EPIC movie!?

[@ebybeehoney]

This is convoluted but I have heard that climate change is increasing the number of orcas in many places in the oceans. I wonder if the humpbacks have noticed an increase in the frequency of orcas around them, and are trying to do something about it.

[@moselymorahashi827]

How dumb are we supposed to be? It’s a feud! Just like, Lions and Hyena’s, Cats and Dogs, except more sophisticated, from a social mammalian anthropomorphic social organization kinda thing

[@nooooooooope3809]

Then how do you explain a humpback rescuing a woman from a tiger shark?