Amateur whale watchers have captured rare footage of at least four orcas rubbing their bellies on the smooth stones of Canada’s Pacific shoreline.
Scientists are not sure why these whales do this. The behaviour is almost unique to northern resident orca whales and is perhaps a learned habit passed down through generations.
At least four orcas can be seen in the video circling the beach and taking turns swimming up on the rocks near Campbell River in the Discovery Islands of British Columbia.
“Holy, moley,” says one of the amateur whale watchers as an orca manoeuvres in close just metres away and rubs itself along the bottom. “This is crazy…probably feels like a nice massage.”
Northern resident orcas number about 250 and are listed as threatened on Canada’s species at risk list.
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