Jul 31, 2026 12:00:00

What is the marine animal that even the king of the sea, the orca, will flee from just by hearing its cry?

Orcas are highly intelligent and ferocious apex predators, often called the 'kings of the sea,' and even the great white shark, feared in numerous films , can become their prey. At first glance, orcas seem to have no enemies in the ocean, but it has been found that there are animals that even orcas will flee from just by hearing their calls.

Aversive behavioral responses of killer whales to sounds of long-finned pilot whales | Scientific Reports
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35574-7

There's One Creature of The Deep That Can Scare Even Orcas Away : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/theres-one-creature-of-the-deep-that-can-scare-even-orcas-away

Orcas possess extremely high intelligence and a ferocious temperament, and it has been found that even great white sharks, sometimes called the 'white death,' are prey to them for their nutrient-rich livers. A 2019 study reported that great white sharks have a strong fear of orcas and disappear from areas where orcas are present.

Great white sharks have a strong fear of orcas and will immediately flee if they are about to encounter one - GIGAZINE

by Elias Levy

Furthermore, in the 2020s, there have been numerous reports of orcas attacking boats and yachts along the coasts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, and France, and destroying the rudders used to operate the vessels.

Orcas in European waters are reportedly enjoying a new game: destroying human boats - GIGAZINE

by Chad Sparkes

Orcas, which seem to have no fear of even humans, have recently been shown to be avoiding a type of dolphin called the longfin pilot whale (Globicephala melas) , according to recent research.

Below are photos of the longfin pilot whale. Females can reach a maximum body length of about 6m, and males about 7.6m, making them smaller than orcas. They are a very social species and usually form groups of 20 to 150 individuals.

by Vsevolate

At first glance, there seems to be no reason for orcas to fear pilot whales, but there is growing evidence that orcas do avoid them. In a 2012

paper published by marine biologist Charlotte Curet and colleagues, it was reported that when wild pilot whales were exposed to the sounds of orcas, they were drawn towards the source of the sounds. In other words, the pilot whales deliberately head towards where the orcas are.

Subsequently, a paper published in 2014 reported that in all recorded encounters between longfin pilot whales and orcas since 2004, the orcas were the ones that fled the scene. This suggests that when longfin pilot whales appear in waters inhabited by orcas, the orcas disappear from the area.

However, from an ecological standpoint, there appears to be no legitimate reason for orcas to fear longfin pilot whales. A study conducted in the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, showed that longfin pilot whales and orcas did not compete for the same food, nor did one prey on the other.

The following video shows orcas fleeing from longfin pilot whales.

Pilot whales chasing the orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar by firmm - YouTube


In a 2022 study , a research team led by marine biologist Anna Servmann of the Icelandic Sdırnäs Science Learning Centre analyzed data collected from surveys and whale watching around Iceland to determine where and when orcas and pilot whales appeared. They found that pilot whales only appeared during the summer months, but they frequently appeared in areas favored by orcas.

Furthermore, it was found that in 68% of the 24 recorded encounters, the orcas had left the area before the longfin pilot whales approached. In the 28% of cases where orcas and longfin pilot whales did come into close proximity, the longfin pilot whales pursued the orcas at speeds of up to 25 km/h.

In a 2026 study, Serbuman and his research team played the calls of longfin pilot whales to tagged orcas and observed their reactions. They reported that when the orcas heard the calls of the longfin pilot whales, they tightened their formations, altered their own calls, turned their backs to the direction of the sound, and swam away at an increased speed. In other words, simply hearing the calls of the longfin pilot whales caused the orcas to flee the area.

The research team stated, 'Previous studies have shown that longfin pilot whales are attracted to the calls of orcas. This study further demonstrates that acoustic signals can mediate these interspecies interactions in both directions.'

by Vsevolate

It remains unclear why longfin pilot whales attack orcas, or why orcas fear them. To date, there have been no reported instances of longfin pilot whales physically attacking orcas.

One possible explanation is that longfin pilot whales don't flee from orcas, which are dangerous predators, but rather drive them away by attacking them in groups. This behavior is called ' mobbing ' and is commonly seen in birds such as crows. For many predators, it is less costly to leave the scene than to confront a group that is attacking them, so they will avoid the group even if they are stronger than the predators.

This is merely a hypothesis, and there may be other purposes such as competition for resources or the protection of weaker individuals. However, the science media outlet ScienceAlert added, 'Nevertheless, this story may hold a life lesson for all of us. Even if you can't be the biggest and strongest, you might be able to achieve your dreams by becoming the most annoying.'