14 Vet Info-H • Sep–Dec 2023 • Vol 11 • No. 4 We hope you enjoyed reading the new version of Vet Info-H! Your Feedback is Important to Us! Please do share your feedback and suggestions at publications@himalayawellness.com or scan the QR code, fill the feedback form, and submit! Scientists believe that these interactions with boats are in response to either an aversive reaction (to prevent collision), combination of factors like depredation of prey and boat disturbance, or a natural curiosity of these animals. More research is required to understand the exact cause of these interactions and methods to control these interactions without having to remove the already endangered populations from their natural habitat. Killer whales are of 10 types, with 5 ecotypes each in the northern and southern hemispheres. It has been observed that these ecotypes have specialized eating habits. Some northern ecotypes (residents) feed primarily on fish, whereas transients prey on marine mammals and, sometimes, seabirds.1 In the Strait of Gibraltar, the killer whales have been noticed to be residing for centuries, and some studies prove that their main prey is tuna fish.6 A study conducted on 2 groups of 9 whales with 2 matriarch females in each group mentions that killer whales learn most of the characters from their parents, and it is estimated that these can be passed on to the young.5 References 1. Riesch R, et al. Biol J Linn Soc. 2012;106(1):1–17. 2. Klinowska M. Oceanus. 1989;32(1):19–20. 3. Berta A, et al. Curr Biol. 2022;32(8):R375–R377. 4. Würsig B. Intelligence and cognition. 2nd ed. In: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press; 2009:616–623. 5. Esteban R, et al. Mar Mammal Sci. 2022;38(4):1699–1709. 6. Esteban R, et al. Biol Conserv. 2016;194:31–38.
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