A paper by Azura marine scientists Amy Whitt and Melody Baran and Maurice Bryson and Luke Rendell from the University of St Andrews was recently accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Aquatic Mammals. In the paper titled “First Report of Killer Whales Harassing Sperm Whales in the Gulf of Mexico,” the authors describe an interesting and prolonged interaction between five killer whales and 19 sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico.
This encounter provides a rare insight into the lives of the cryptic Gulf of Mexico killer whales and their potential predation on the sperm whale population in the northern Gulf.
Whitt, A.D., M.A. Baran, M. Bryson, and L.E. Rendell. 2015. Short Note: First Report of Killer Whales Harassing Sperm Whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 41.3, 252-255. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.
