A growing sense of unease is sweeping through the scientific community regarding the peculiar actions of a pod of orcas situated off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. These apex marine predators, known for their distinct forms of communication, are increasingly targeting and even sinking vessels, according to reports in The Sun.
The individual leading this pod, who has been dubbed White Gladys, has been observed engaging in exchanges with the rest of the group. A key characteristic of their vocalizations is the presence of four completely novel sounds that have never been previously documented.
As pointed out by Renaud de Stephanis, the head of the Spanish Center for the Study, Protection, and Conservation of Marine Mammals (CIRCE), it was previously presumed that these orcas were largely silent. However, recent monitoring reveals their vocalizations are starkly different from anything recorded up to this time. De Stephanis stressed the immense importance of this discovery from the perspective of preserving cultural heritage.
Experts suggest that the language employed by White Gladys’s group represents an entirely new mode of communication, one so dissimilar from other orca dialects that the difference rivals that between Arabic and Latin.
Since 2020, this particular group of killer whales has been observed on more than 700 separate occasions. Their aggressive pattern involves sinking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, with over 70 vessels reportedly sunk in the past year alone.
It was previously reported that an orca pod had attacked a yacht near the coast of Portugal.
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