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1. hollie (hollie@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:18 JST hollie

   For the last couple of years orcas have been ramming and breaking the rudders of small boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. They've actually figured out that without a rudder a boat stops moving, that's pretty forking impressive. They sunk at least one (but didn't attack the lifeboat). Hundreds of these events have happened, it's now a known hazard in the area and boats are advised to avoid the area if they can.

   https://www.yachtingworld.com/news/why-have-orcas-been-attacking-yachts-a-puzzling-mystery-143953

   • Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:14 JST Moon

     in reply to

     • Moon Cricket
     • feld
     @CrushBead @feld I forgot about this, isn't there a version of this image where someone made an orca pepe grinning
     Christi Junior and luithe repeated this.
   • Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:14 JST Moon

     in reply to

     • Moon
     • Moon Cricket
     • feld
     @CrushBead @feld this is horrible I do not endorse this image
     luithe likes this.
   • Moon (moon@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:15 JST Moon

     in reply to

     • feld
     @feld orcas used to attack boats all the time before motorized boats and then worldwide it abruptly stopped. this phenomenon has never been fully explained, the conventional explanation was that people in the past just made up stories of orca attacks as it rarely happened in the present. If they're doing it again, things have suddenly gotten interesting. I have no way to evaluate if any of this is true though.
   • Moon Cricket (crushbead@shitposter.club)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:15 JST Moon Cricket

     in reply to

     • Moon
     • feld
     @Moon @feld
     Orcas have been attacking "migrant" boats from Africa heading towards Europe. Now my personal headcannon is that Orca used to attack small fishing boats way back in the day to tip them over and get some delicious land seal. As boats gradually grew large and harder it became more difficult to do so and the orca learned better. Those dingy rafts loaded up with hundreds of future scientists and judges however...
   • feld (feld@bikeshed.party)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:16 JST feld

     in reply to
     Orcas are crazy smart and devious. They toy with their prey.
   • hollie (hollie@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 04-May-2023 03:46:17 JST hollie

     in reply to

     Before the Well Actually guys chime in, yes a boat can still move without a rudder, but not safely (i.e. steering is gone, most boats don't like to collide with things or begin veering off course) so when you lose a rudder on a sailboat you usually stop, heave to, and stay in one place while you figure out what to do.

     That the orcas are watching this unfold and connecting the dots and then collectively deciding that rudders are their new target is kind of amazing.