‘Gladiator’ pod of orcas in Gibraltar ‘speaks’ in a unique language,
The rogue ‘Gladiator’ pod of orcas behind a string of boat attacks in the Strait of Gibraltar is ‘speaking’ a unique language scientists have never heard before.
Since 2020, the pod, led by a female known as ‘White Gladis’, has snapped rudders, disabled yachts, and left sailors stranded all along this vital waterway.
Now, scientists believe they may have cracked one of the secrets to the pod’s success – a unique language.
Orcas are intelligent, social, and chatty animals that use a wide range of vocalisations to communicate and organise their elaborate hunting strategies.
These clicks and squeaks usually sound the same to humans with an untrained ear.
However, research has shown that different pods use dialects or ‘accents’ that are passed down from mother to calf.
Far from being a regional twang, the Gladiator pod’s vocalisations are completely different to anything hear before.
In fact, researchers say that these aggressive orcas have now developed their own private language.
One strange feature of the Gladiator pod – named in a nod to White Gladis’ scientific name, Orca gladiator – is that it appeared to be unusually silent.
Orca pods are typically very vocal, especially when they are hunting or playing, but White Gladis and her team pulled apart stranded yachts in eerie silence.
However, scientists have now discovered that this is merely a tactical choice.
Like most pods, the orcas that live around Ibera and the Strait of Gibraltar specialise in hunting a single type of prey.
Because these killer whales are experts in tackling the alert and flighty tuna, they have learned to hunt in silence and avoid any noise that might startle the fish.
In a new study, researchers used cutting–edge underwater acoustic equipment to eavesdrop on their quiet chatter.
In just a few hours of recording, the scientists found four distinct types of calls that didn’t match any other known orca vocalisation.
Co–author Dr Renaud de Stephanis, president of the Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE) in Spain, told The Times: ‘We’ve been studying these orcas for 30 years.
‘Until now they were thought to be very silent. But now we’ve learnt that their calls are totally, totally different to any others. From a cultural conservation point of view, that’s just amazing. It’s like suddenly finding a new [human] language in the middle of Europe.’
The calls didn’t just sound different; they had major structural differences from the nearby orca populations in the North Atlantic and Pacific.
‘It’s like the difference between Arabic and Latin,’ explains Dr de Stephanis.
Researchers believe that these unique communication styles are not something orcas are born with, but rather something they must learn.
Young calves appear to pick up vocabulary and grammar from the dominant female and their pod–mates as they grow up.
Those language skills are key to passing on the pod’s unique hunting strategies, which help them thrive in areas where particular prey are abundant.
The newly identified calls were found in a group of about 40 orcas, whose range extends from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic coast of Iberia and even as far as the English Channel on occasion.
About 15 of these orcas are part of the infamous Gladiator pod, which has been linked to nearly 700 close interactions with boats and the sinking of several vessels.
However, scientists don’t think that White Gladis and her pod are actively looking to harm humans, nor is there any evidence that orca ever treat humans as prey.
Instead, researchers think that the boat attacks might simply be a strange game.
It is well documented that orcas will sometimes engage in ‘fads’, picking up unusual behaviours or habits that provide no obvious benefits.
Most famously, one group of orcas in the Pacific Northwest started wearing dead fish on their heads like ‘hats’.
The trend caught on, passing from pod to pod, and soon many orcas across the area were seen wearing fish hats.
According to Dr de Stephanis and other researchers, attacking boats may be another trend that could vanish as suddenly as it started.
After pulling the rudders off boats, White Gladis and her pod have been seen batting the fragments around for a few minutes before seemingly losing interest and swimming off.
That suggests they might see boats as a place to find new toys, without any thought for the consequences of ripping a yacht to pieces.
Dr de Stephanis previously told the Daily Mail that this behaviour is ‘playful, not aggressive’.
‘What we have been documenting in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gulf of Cádiz, and Portugal is a game–like behaviour developed by a small subpopulation of orcas,’ they said.
‘They focus on the rudder of sailboats because it reacts dynamically when pushed – it moves, vibrates, and provides resistance.
‘In other words, it is stimulating for them.’
