Shark or Orca: Which Should You Fear More?

In the wild, are humans more likely to survive an encounter with an orca or a great white shark?

– Kamrin F., Yardley, Pa.

By numbers, white sharks are much more dangerous to humans than orcas. Despite the name “killer whale,” there is only one well-documented example of a wild orca attacking someone—Hans Kreischmer, who was bitten in the leg while surfing in California in 1972. Attacks by white sharks, although still rare, occur quite a bit more frequently; There are several hundred on record.

So why are killer whale attacks so rare? A big part of this is that orcas don’t often encounter humans, Emma Luck, a marine-mammal researcher at the University of Alaska, told me. “Killer whales are found in all oceans, but they are found in high densities around cold, high-latitude regions,” she wrote in a message. “These are areas where the water isn’t particularly inviting for the average beachgoer!”

He said the 1972 orca attack was probably a case of mistaken identity, as is the case with many shark attacks. “In an open water context, where all sides can clearly see each other, I would wager that both the shark and the killer whale are going to leave you alone,” she said.

In fact, you don’t have to spend long browsing police blotters to confirm that not only are killer whale attacks rarer than shark attacks, they are documented to be attacked and bitten by swimmers. The cases are even rarer than that. other humans, Granted, that’s because there are a lot more humans than orcas around, but that doesn’t change the conclusion: At sea, you’re more likely to be attacked and bitten by a person than by a killer whale.

Because both sharks and orcas spend most of their time hidden under water, we often think of them in terms of their brief interactions with us – will they attack us or not? If the only two options are “don’t attack human” and “attack human”, it’s hard not to focus on the other. After all, this is the second most likely option!

But sharks and orcas aren’t just deciding whether to attack us or not. Like the people you pass on the street, they are mostly busy doing their jobs.

And in the case of orcas, one of the things they’re busy with is worrying about humpback whales.

For reasons that are unclear to scientists, humpback whales are almost a vendetta against killer whales, as noted in a 2016 paper in the journal Marine Mammal Science. All over the world, orcas trying to chase food are regularly interrupted by out-of-the-blue humpback whale attacks. Humpbacks will band together and travel great distances to interfere with the killer whale’s hunt, regardless of the species of prey.

The paper even documents cases of humpback whales taking them out of the water and keeping them out of reach of orcas. Humpbacks guarded the prey for hours, until the orcas were forced to starve.

Why do humpbacks do this? Is this charity? game theory? Cross-mammal solidarity? A side effect of their instinct to protect the calves? Or do they really hate orcas, for reasons only known to them?

“It’s hard to understand why this happens,” Ms Luck said. “Especially because it’s not limited to just one population of humpbacks. It happens all over the world.”

So if you encounter a killer whale in the ocean, don’t worry, it’s unlikely to attack you. And if you’re still worried… maybe consider befriending a humpback.