30 Orcas 'Badly Wounded' Two Gray Whales in Rare California Attack [VIDEO]

Around 30 orcas are seen by local marine authorities hunting down two adult gray whales, who managed to survive following a harrowing ordeal in the waters off the coast of California.

Monterey Bay Whale Watch videographer, Evan Brodsky, captured the bizarre even on March 30.

Orcas Attack Adult Gray Whales

In a video report published by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch on YouTube, it can be seen that at least 30 orcas predate on two adult gray whales, where the former typically hunts the latter during the months of April and May 2022.

It can also be noticed in the clip that the two whales were forming a defensive position to protect their bellies and even liver, which has been a delicacy for orcas in the wild, including the great white sharks.

North America Killer Whales

Killer whales or orcas can be seen in multiple places across North America, especially along the West Coast, ranging from Vancouver Island in Canada to Monterey Bay in the United States, according to the website North American Nature.

Other places where one can watch killer whales are in the San Juan Islands and Southern California, a coast area also used by gray whales to migrate between Alaska and Mexico.

It is due to this migration route that orcas use a site to ambush the whales, particularly calves.

However, the Monterey Bay attack over a month ago highlights that there are some alterations on the orcas' behavior since they usually attack young gray whales, not adult ones.

A Population Problem?

The recently filmed orca attack on the adult gray whales is unusual, posing the potential trend that the largest dolphin family members may food source issue or population problem on the side of the whales.

Ari Friedlaender, a marine mammal ecologist with the University of California, Santa Cruz, told Live Science, orcas normally hunt calves rather than adult whales by taking advantage of their migration journey along the west North America coast during the younglings' first year of their lives.

Despite such attack, Friedlaender said a single event does not necessarily mean a deviant pattern will begin.

For instance, the ecologist proposed one possible reason for killer whales continuously attacking adult whales is that the fewer gray whale population is available now, compared to previous years.

Gray Whale Population

In this context, there could be an underlying problem behind the gray whale population in North America.

In 2016, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries) estimated that the population of eastern North Pacific gray whale was nearly 27,000, which was one of the largest numbers since similar estimates were made back in 1967.

However, since January 19, the number of dead gray whales stranded along the beaches of the West Coast has continued.

In previous years, some of these strandings have been attributed to vessel strikes or ship collisions.