BBC reporting: "Sea monster"

[havoc]

Are we all 10 years old again?!?

Read this, and then try not to throw something at the screen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment...


What utterly inaccurate, hyperbolic and fantasist-speculative crap!!!
- Sperm whale "relatively placid, sucking in squid"! Really??? News to me...
- "fierce battles with other sea creatures" - yeah, right!
- "tear prey apart quickly and effectively" - have they studied how modern sharks and toothed whales hunt/kill/eat?!?
- "possible it may have fought the giant shark" (presumably Megalodon) - oh yeah, why? Do sharks and killer whales fight now? Or sharks and dolphins (there are instances of dolphins defending young, but no evidence of actual conflict)?


Utterly pathetic, sensationalist bunkum...

[Snoop Bagg]

I love the picture, it's just a big whale with teeth!

[DrTre]

Pretty much looks to me like they've reported the researchers words. Not really sure what the issue is (except for another opportunity to have a pop at the BBC).

[WorAl]

havoc said:

- "possible it may have fought the giant shark" (presumably Megalodon) - oh yeah, why? Do sharks and killer whales fight now? Or sharks and dolphins (there are instances of dolphins defending young, but no evidence of actual conflict)?

I think you may want to watch this if you think whales don't eat sharks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8GaDuCvYbE

and read this (same story)

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/killer-whale-cau...

Edited by WorAl on Thursday 1st July 15:59

[Original Poster]

I have seen much scarier *ummm* Sea Monsters....

[Japveesix]

WorAl said:

havoc said:

- "possible it may have fought the giant shark" (presumably Megalodon) - oh yeah, why? Do sharks and killer whales fight now? Or sharks and dolphins (there are instances of dolphins defending young, but no evidence of actual conflict)?

I think you may want to watch this if you think whales don't eat sharks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8GaDuCvYbE

and read this (same story)

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/killer-whale-cau...

Edited by WorAl on Thursday 1st July 15:59

This may also be of interest:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6668575/...

It's now thought that some killer whale pods are fairly specialized in killing large sharks - many have numerous scars and bite marks from their 'victims'.

Other than the ridiculous picture, looks like a blue whale being eaten which is a tad silly, the rest isn;t that bad.

[davido140]

[MGZRod]

davido140 said:

Best

Film

EVER!

I may be lying

[Shinobi]

havoc said:

Are we all 10 years old again?!?

Read this, and then try not to throw something at the screen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment...


What utterly inaccurate, hyperbolic and fantasist-speculative crap!!!
- Sperm whale "relatively placid, sucking in squid"! Really??? News to me...
- "fierce battles with other sea creatures" - yeah, right!
- "tear prey apart quickly and effectively" - have they studied how modern sharks and toothed whales hunt/kill/eat?!?
- "possible it may have fought the giant shark" (presumably Megalodon) - oh yeah, why? Do sharks and killer whales fight now? Or sharks and dolphins (there are instances of dolphins defending young, but no evidence of actual conflict)?


Utterly pathetic, sensationalist bunkum...

Yes Killer whales do kill Sharks. The clues in the name. The BBC might not know much but you don't know much more it seems lol.

[LukeBird]

[anonymous-user]

The BBC is reporting a sea monster? What, have they been to cleethorpes and used a camera on the beach when people are swimming?

[7mike]

snowy slopes said:

The BBC is reporting a sea monster? What, have they been to cleethorpes and used a camera on the beach when people are swimming?

Suprised they reported it at all, seeing as one hasn't attacked some kids in a London flat yet

[anonymous-user]

7mike said:

snowy slopes said:

The BBC is reporting a sea monster? What, have they been to cleethorpes and used a camera on the beach when people are swimming?

Suprised they reported it at all, seeing as one hasn't attacked some kids in a London flat yet

[Halb]

DrTre said:

Pretty much looks to me like they've reported the researchers words. Not really sure what the issue is (except for another opportunity to have a pop at the BBC).

Quite.


Good links AL. I saw the doc that showed that Killr Whales hunt Great White Sharks. What is interesting that at the moment it's a certain family that do it. The knowledge has been passed on memetically not genetically.
Nice to know that all you have to do is turn the shark upside down and the rest bugger off across the pacific ocean!!!

[Jasandjules]

Well, Megalodon was not exactly a tiny fish either.. 55-60 ft or so IIRC... And he had some very mean toothy pegs......

[WorAl]

Halb said:

Good links AL. I saw the doc that showed that Killr Whales hunt Great White Sharks. What is interesting that at the moment it's a certain family that do it. The knowledge has been passed on memetically not genetically.
Nice to know that all you have to do is turn the shark upside down and the rest bugger off across the pacific ocean!!!

yeah was good that they could actually teach how to do it to one another.

Also interesting that the chemicals that came out of one of the sharks organs (I think it was) scared the other sharks away.

[havoc]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

As they're all odontocetae, I'd suggest the reference stands...

Shinobi - wow, I didn't realise the full name was "shark-killer" whale!



Note that I genuinely hadn't heard about the predation on sharks, which seems to be learned behaviour for some pods and not others, although it seems to be still considered opportunistic rather than favoured prey*. But it's still predation, not a "fight", which is rather an anthropomorphic suggestion by the journalist.

And the article is still very sensationalist and totally theoretical - behaviour of cetaceans varies notably from pod-to-pod and from species to species even currently, so most of those comments are pure speculation with only the loosest grounding in current observation.



* Even the biggest odontocetae currently will avoid taking on dangerous prey (Architeuthis for the Sperm Whale, big-sharks and leopard seals for the orca) where easier pickings exist. Just like lions won't bother too much with healthy adult water buffalo where zebra/warthog/wildebeest etc. are available, but will take them on when food is scarce.

[Tycho]

MGZRod said:

davido140 said:

Best

Film

EVER!

I may be lying

Currently on Sky Anytime!!! Well worth a watch.

[glazbagun]

MGZRod said:

davido140 said:

Best

Film

EVER!

I may be lying

Don't buy it. I did on the assumption that such a film couldn't possibly be bad, but it is. There's almost no Shark/Octopus action, except for the odd half-second glimpse of CGI and one big battle which is the same half-second repeated.