In watching how the world is changing around us, I remembered that there are some orcas playing with boats somewhere near Spain.

Everyone’s saying that the boats are being attacked, but with no expertise whatsoever to support me, I think it could just be playing.

Why? Well, if you check out the USA Today article on why orcas are attacking boats and sometimes sinking them, you’ll find lots of really interesting pictures.

This image, in particular, is very interesting (please open in a different tab). The keel of the boat, that pokey thing in the center – doesn’t that look a bit like it could be a dorsal fin? And the rudder, doesn’t that kind of look like a tail fin?

I’m not saying that this is what orcas see, but it’s hard to un-see it once you do. So what sort of creatures have a dorsal fin facing the bottom of the ocean? I know some fish float upside down when dead, but I don’t think that’s always true.

The attacks, however, happen when the boats are in motion, and generally speaking, dead creatures don’t move on their own as a boat would appear to – but then too, orcas have probably observed fish in nets or that have been hooked. In fact, in that same area, fishermen often throw hooks over the stern (that’s the back of the boat for non-sailors) which is also where rudders happen to be.

However, orcas do swim upside down.

…Orca sometimes swim upside down in order to target prey—by doing so, it can ensure prey cannot fight back when it turns itself back around.

The orca may also have been playing. Orca have been observed displaying playful behavior before, and approaching boats out of curiosity. Orca may swim upside down near boats in order to explore the area…

“Orca Swims Under Boat Belly Up in Incredible Close Encounter in Puget Sound“, Newsweek.com, July 21st 2022.

We talk to animals quite a bit – maybe more than we should, anthropomorphizing where maybe we shouldn’t. Communication, though, can be different from their end. Maybe they think the boat is an upside down creature that is playing?

It’s impossible to say, but I’m pretty sure it’s not an attack.

I’m also pretty sure it feels like an attack if you’re on the boat.

People do the above to each other every day, accidentally causing harm when trying to be playful. Maybe the answer is to let the orcas know that it hurts when they do that.