8. The Orcas That Lay Baited Traps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfbHZRO54cE The Blackfish controversy has led to a debate about the intelligence of orcas, with some suggesting that they should be given the status of "non-human persons" due to their incredible intellects. If you've ever tried fishing then you'll know that it's equal parts difficult and boring, but this orca seems to have gotten the marine version of fishing (birding?) down to a fine art. We know that orcas in the wild use amazingly sophisticated hunting techniques to nab their prey, but this guy has taken it one step further and actually sets a baited trap for a bird. Considering all we have to do is throw a ready made lasagne in the microwave for our food, most of us would probably struggle if we had to get our food by laying baited traps. The orca emerges and deposits an appetising dead fish just out of reach of a group of birds. They are (understandably) wary at first, but our orca friend waits it out until one of the birds hops forwards to take the bait, at which point it pounces. The amazing thing is that the orca doesn't even eat the bird afterwards, indicating that it set the trap for the sheer merry hell of it. After dragging the victim underwater, the orcas proceed to toy with it for some time, apparently fascinated. Most of the body is placed on the ledge and they continue to play with the head for a while. Although this orca is in captivity, scientists observed similar behaviour in the Canadian wild, with orcas floating fish in the surface of the water to bait birds.