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Despite being a very intelligent apex predator with a diverse diet[1], orcas apparently have never killed a human in the wild before in recorded history, and th

Despite being a very intelligent apex predator with a diverse diet[1], orcas apparently have never killed a human in the wild before in recorded history, and there is only one recorded case of an orca even biting a human[2]. Of course fatal attacks by captive orcas are well known. Still, orcas are magnificent animals. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale#Feeding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale#Feeding [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale_attacks_on_humans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale_attacks_on_humans

sova 9y ago
Put anybody in a tiny tank for long enough and they will certainly go crazy.
LanceH 9y ago
Proximity would go a very long way to explaining this or should we just jump to your implied conclusion?
- meri_dian 9y ago
  Lies, damned lies and statistics...
- larkeith 9y ago
  Given that there have been multiple non-damaging encounters between wild Orcas and humans, and there have been instances of Orcas preying on nonhuman terrestrial animals, it is very likely that they do not have an interest in attacking humans in the wild. As to whether captive Orca attacks are due to more aggression towards humans specifically or are simply the result of the high numbers of encounters with humans, I doubt there is sufficient data to ascertain.
  - cptaj 9y ago
    Makes you think about how dangerous it would be to even release captive orcas. They may actually be capable of hating our guts and ideas have a way of spreading.
- thewayfarer 9y ago
  Some human beings that live near the ocean do go in the water. Here are some more facts: Great white sharks world population: <3,500 [1] fatal attacks on humans from 1990-2013: 35 [2] Orcas world population: >50,000[3] fatal attacks on humans in the wild since the beginning of recorded history: apparently zero Here are some bonus videos of people swimming with orcas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3mDXF3bcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3mDXF3bcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtbaQyJx-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtbaQyJx-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCfpYYuWuo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCfpYYuWuo [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/19/great-white-shark-endangered-tiger https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/19/great-wh... [2] https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/isaf/contributing-factors/highlight-white-sharks/attack-statistics https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/isaf/contributing-fac... [3] http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15421/0 http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15421/0
  - blackguardx 9y ago
    Great White Sharks hunt seals near shore. The seals, in turn, hunt fish that often finds them going to sandy beaches where rivers meet the ocean. Humans like to swim and surf on these beaches. This forces contact between humans and the sharks. Are there similar pressures to force Orca-human interactions?
    - teamhappy 9y ago
      > Great White Sharks hunt seals near shore. Orcas do that too.
      - kurthr 9y ago
        Are Oraca commonly found in water that won't cause hypothermia (eg death or unconsciousness) in less than an hour? That would be warmer 50F==10C. Anecdotally, I have only seen or heard of people seeing Orca in the PNW and Arctic where swimming without a wet/dry suit is not only uncomfortable, but deadly. Great White shark populations OTOH are concentrated in some of the most popular and temperate swimming areas in the world. Certainly, they are everywhere I have ever been swimming/diving. http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/files/2013/02/1104_072911sharks.gif http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/files/2013/02/1104_0729...
- supernumerary 9y ago
  Relative to a shark, and from the Orca's perspective - we have small livers...
pvaldes 9y ago
It turned to be more complicated than this. Killer whale is not one species, is a species complex. Some are more vicious than other. We still don't know lots of things about cetaceans.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

sova 9y ago

Put anybody in a tiny tank for long enough and they will certainly go crazy.

LanceH 9y ago

Proximity would go a very long way to explaining this or should we just jump to your implied conclusion?

meri_dian 9y ago
Lies, damned lies and statistics...
larkeith 9y ago
Given that there have been multiple non-damaging encounters between wild Orcas and humans, and there have been instances of Orcas preying on nonhuman terrestrial animals, it is very likely that they do not have an interest in attacking humans in the wild. As to whether captive Orca attacks are due to more aggression towards humans specifically or are simply the result of the high numbers of encounters with humans, I doubt there is sufficient data to ascertain.
- cptaj 9y ago
  Makes you think about how dangerous it would be to even release captive orcas. They may actually be capable of hating our guts and ideas have a way of spreading.
thewayfarer 9y ago
Some human beings that live near the ocean do go in the water. Here are some more facts: Great white sharks world population: <3,500 [1] fatal attacks on humans from 1990-2013: 35 [2] Orcas world population: >50,000[3] fatal attacks on humans in the wild since the beginning of recorded history: apparently zero Here are some bonus videos of people swimming with orcas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3mDXF3bcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ3mDXF3bcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtbaQyJx-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtbaQyJx-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCfpYYuWuo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCfpYYuWuo [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/19/great-white-shark-endangered-tiger https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/feb/19/great-wh... [2] https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/isaf/contributing-factors/highlight-white-sharks/attack-statistics https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/isaf/contributing-fac... [3] http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15421/0 http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15421/0
- blackguardx 9y ago
  Great White Sharks hunt seals near shore. The seals, in turn, hunt fish that often finds them going to sandy beaches where rivers meet the ocean. Humans like to swim and surf on these beaches. This forces contact between humans and the sharks. Are there similar pressures to force Orca-human interactions?
  - teamhappy 9y ago
    > Great White Sharks hunt seals near shore. Orcas do that too.
    - kurthr 9y ago
      Are Oraca commonly found in water that won't cause hypothermia (eg death or unconsciousness) in less than an hour? That would be warmer 50F==10C. Anecdotally, I have only seen or heard of people seeing Orca in the PNW and Arctic where swimming without a wet/dry suit is not only uncomfortable, but deadly. Great White shark populations OTOH are concentrated in some of the most popular and temperate swimming areas in the world. Certainly, they are everywhere I have ever been swimming/diving. http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/files/2013/02/1104_072911sharks.gif http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/files/2013/02/1104_0729...
supernumerary 9y ago
Relative to a shark, and from the Orca's perspective - we have small livers...

pvaldes 9y ago

It turned to be more complicated than this. Killer whale is not one species, is a species complex. Some are more vicious than other. We still don't know lots of things about cetaceans.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]