49 votes

Watch orcas ram a sunfish so hard it explodes

19 comments

  1. [5]
    polle
    Link
    That... was genuinely MUCH more explosive than I anticipated it would be.

    That... was genuinely MUCH more explosive than I anticipated it would be.

    23 votes
    1. [3]
      Hobofarmer
      Link Parent
      Uh. Seconded. WOW. Question: Orcas are crazy smart. It looks like one was setting the other up for the strike, like a "it's right here" type deal. Amazing to see such pack tactics and ideas play...

      Uh. Seconded. WOW.

      Question: Orcas are crazy smart. It looks like one was setting the other up for the strike, like a "it's right here" type deal. Amazing to see such pack tactics and ideas play out in the animal world, shows that we're not so different after all.

      13 votes
      1. [2]
        Grenno
        Link Parent
        Looks like it lets go and backs away a bit just before the impact.

        Looks like it lets go and backs away a bit just before the impact.

        3 votes
        1. JXM
          Link Parent
          It reminded me of Charlie Brown and Lucy.

          It reminded me of Charlie Brown and Lucy.

          5 votes
    2. json
      Link Parent
      Sunfish went supernova.

      Sunfish went supernova.

      2 votes
  2. [10]
    chocobean
    Link
    That poor sunfish :'(

    That poor sunfish :'(

    6 votes
    1. [8]
      Hobofarmer
      Link Parent
      The article attached says the sunfish were already dead by that point... The juvenile Orcas seem to also benefit most? Circle of life and all that? But no this does seem... Excessive.

      The article attached says the sunfish were already dead by that point... The juvenile Orcas seem to also benefit most? Circle of life and all that?

      But no this does seem... Excessive.

      15 votes
      1. [6]
        kacey
        Link Parent
        (IIRC most of the sunfish is inedible, loosely connected, often parasite-ridden blobby tissue, in case that explains the overkill a little more ... that said, orcas are also known to routinely...

        (IIRC most of the sunfish is inedible, loosely connected, often parasite-ridden blobby tissue, in case that explains the overkill a little more ... that said, orcas are also known to routinely hurl seals dozens of feet into the air in order to stun them on impact. I guess, if you're the size of a pickup truck, perhaps wrecking havoc is more the default behaviour than an exception)

        15 votes
        1. [3]
          Hobofarmer
          Link Parent
          I love that this entire comment is in parentheses. As someone with a lot of side thoughts and mental adventures, I understand completely.

          I love that this entire comment is in parentheses. As someone with a lot of side thoughts and mental adventures, I understand completely.

          13 votes
          1. [2]
            kacey
            Link Parent
            Hah, apologies 😅 I tend to do that when I know I'm adding a very ignorable parenthetical to a conversation ... I don't want to come off as trying to call out, or correct, just to provide a quick...

            Hah, apologies 😅 I tend to do that when I know I'm adding a very ignorable parenthetical to a conversation ... I don't want to come off as trying to call out, or correct, just to provide a quick bit of commentary that could be interesting. In person I'd, like, softly try to weave this into the conversation, but wouldn't loop back if my conversation partner/the group talked over me or moved on ... it's harder to feel things out like that in text, though.

            11 votes
            1. Hobofarmer
              Link Parent
              Don't apologize! I thought it was a wonderfully human thing to do.

              Don't apologize! I thought it was a wonderfully human thing to do.

              7 votes
        2. [2]
          stu2b50
          Link Parent
          Orcas are also a species of dolphin, and multiple dolphin species are known to rape fish corpses, for no particular point.

          Orcas are also a species of dolphin, and multiple dolphin species are known to rape fish corpses, for no particular point.

          1 vote
          1. datavoid
            Link Parent
            That's like saying people eat shit for no point, the point is in the love of the game

            That's like saying people eat shit for no point, the point is in the love of the game

            20 votes
      2. chocobean
        Link Parent
        It's good to know the sunfish's suffering had already ended before the uh, explosion. Man, orcas are meanies

        It's good to know the sunfish's suffering had already ended before the uh, explosion. Man, orcas are meanies

        5 votes
    2. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. chocobean
        Link Parent
        I'm an omnivore myself, so I don't have any moral high grounds here. The image of a mola mola with a cute bow did cheer me up some, though :) thank you for that kindness Threads img of Golden...

        I'm an omnivore myself, so I don't have any moral high grounds here.

        The image of a mola mola with a cute bow did cheer me up some, though :) thank you for that kindness

        Threads img of Golden Eagle babeh sitting cutely in return -- nature is a harsh, harsh place ... Even if fish don't feel pain the same way we do, I'd like at least our interactions with them to be less violent and wasteful. =..= I do kill fish when I collect mackerels when they're in season, but I try to dispatch them as quickly and hopefully painlessly as possible, and only in reasonable numbers.

        2 votes
  3. tanglisha
    Link
    The ability to understand what someone says while they are scuba diving is not a skill I was aware I had.

    The ability to understand what someone says while they are scuba diving is not a skill I was aware I had.

    3 votes