Скачать или смотреть Bigg's killer whales vocalize while sharing a sea lion

Looking back at an incredible moment from the field in 2025 👉

Bigg’s killer whales, the marine-mammal-eating ecotype, are generally much quieter than fish-eating resident killer whales, particularly while hunting. This is because their prey have sensitive underwater hearing and can detect killer whale calls, so Bigg’s rely on listening and a stealthy approach to catch their prey.

Their vocal behaviour often increases after a successful kill!

During a foggy day during a recent study led by our Cetacean Conservation Research Co-Directors this past September, our team was able to record ground-breaking acoustic and behavioural data. A group of Bigg’s were quite chatty as they shared a sea lion!

Get a behind-the-scenes look aboard Achiever, and stay to the end to hear AND see the synched footage!

We’re bringing together decades of field biology and ecological knowledge of the whales with new analytical tools developed by our partners at Earth Species Project, to understand killer whale communication more deeply than ever before. But we need your support.

Learn more at raincoast.org/listen

⚠️It is illegal to fly drones over marine mammals if not under permit. These video clips were taken under SARA permit XMMS-2-2022-Amendment 2 (at a minimum 30m altitude).

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Raincoast is a team of conservationists and scientists empowered by our research to protect the lands, waters and wildlife of coastal British Columbia.