The Humpback and the Killer | Radiolab Podcast

From the Radiolab podcast: Oceans also have their vigilantes. Killer whales — orcas — eat all sorts of animals, including humpback calves. But one day, biologists saw a group of humpback whales trying to stop some killer whales from eating… a seal. And then it happened again. And again. It turns out, all across the oceans, humpback whales are swimming around stopping killer whales from hunting all kinds of animals — from seals to gray whales to sunfish. And while many scientists explain this behavior as the result of blind instincts that are ultimately selfish, much of the world celebrates humpbacks as superhero vigilantes of the sea. But when Annie McEwen dug into what was really going on between humpbacks and killer whales, she found a set of stories that refused to fit in either of those two ways of seeing the world. Special thanks to Eric J. Gleske and Brendan Brucker at Media Services, Oregon State University as well as Colleen Talty at Monterey Bay Whale Watch and California Killer Whale Project. Special thanks also to Doug McKnight and Giuliana Mayo. Episode Credits: Reported and produced by Annie McEwen Original music and sound design by Annie McEwen Mixing help from Arianne Wack Fact-checking by Diane Kelly Edited by Becca Bressler Episode Segments: 00:00 Humpback vigilantes 17:32 Interpreting this behavior Guests include: Robert Pittman, Oregon State University Nancy Black, Monterey Bay Whale Watch Alisa Schulman-Janiger, ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project 🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: https://bit.ly/3trXDLe ✒️ Subscribe to our newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter 🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3I9KI53 🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: https://bit.ly/3sX8f4P 👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment! Follow Radiolab: Instagram —   / radiolab   Twitter —   / radiolab   Facebook —   / radiolab   Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/... Photo illustration Anna Rascouët-Paz.