In a remarkable turn of events off the southern coast of Western Australia, a dramatic encounter between sperm whales and a pod of orcas may have been defused by an extraordinary act of nature. This incident, involving what can only be described as a monumental “poonado,” marked the first sighting of sperm whales in the region this year, and it was nothing short of astonishing.
Marine biologist Jennah Tucker, along with a group of whale watchers and photographers aboard a Naturaliste Charters expedition, witnessed this intense drama unfold. The group was initially observing the orcas when they noticed the predators suddenly accelerate, clearly in pursuit of something. That something turned out to be a pod of sperm whales, including one significantly smaller member. The whales seemed both weary and distressed, clustering together in a tight formation—a scene that hinted at their desperation.
Conventional wisdom once held that sperm whales, being formidable predators themselves, were not at risk from orca attacks. However, recent observations have challenged this notion, revealing that orcas do indeed target sperm whales, particularly favoring females with young calves.
As the confrontation escalated, the sperm whales resorted to thrashing their tails in a bid to fend off the orcas. Amidst this chaos, Tucker and her team observed a large, dark bubble emerge among the whales, initially thought to be blood. This assumption was later corrected when it was confirmed that the bubble was, in fact, a cloud of whale feces—an explosive defense mechanism unique to sperm whales.
Sperm whales are known to defecate when threatened, a behavior known as emergency or defensive defecation. The resulting cloud of diarrhea, especially when agitated by the whale’s tail movements, serves as a deterrent to predators. This strategy appeared effective in this instance. The feces, which can appear reddish due to the whales’ squid-heavy diet, was easily mistaken for blood.
The encounter reached its climax with the whales deploying their last-resort defense mechanism, unleashing a veritable poonado that seemed to turn the tide in their favor. Despite the orcas’ determined efforts, their willingness to engage did not extend to braving a deluge of fecal matter.
Interestingly, the orcas were later seen with unidentified prey in their mouths, leading to speculation about the outcome of their hunt. It’s possible they were scavenging giant squid remains from the sperm whales, a behavior documented among these marine giants.
In the end, the most definitive outcome of this extraordinary encounter was the unprecedented release of whale feces, a testament to the lengths nature will go to protect its own.