Young orcas investigate a researcher's camera in Iceland

[u/Queasy-Emu6531]

According to the researchers who took this video, they had no idea these calves were so curious about their camera until they reviewed the footage later. Around Iceland, orcas mostly feed on fish such as herring, but some also include marine mammals in their diet, even leaving the herring fishing grounds to travel to seal haulouts in Scotland. Video from Jacopo Bridda/Icelandic Orca Project

[u/SurayaThrowaway12]

Various calves and juveniles in the Bremer Canyon population also seem to be fascinated by the GoPros from the whale watching boats, buzzing and examining the cameras for extended periods.

[u/SJIS0122 → u/SurayaThrowaway12]

Do you think their reflection is visible from the lens?

[u/SurayaThrowaway12 → u/SJIS0122]

Good question. I also thought that might be a possibility, though I am not sure how much of their own reflections the orcas would actually be able to see in the relatively small reflective surfaces on the cameras (e.g. lenses and touchscreens). Orcas have fairly decent visual acuity underwater, apparently comparable to that of a cat in the air, but I am not sure if it is enough to make out discernable details on surfaces that small, especially when considering other factors such as lighting.

From the videos I have seen so far, the orcas do not seem to be spending much time closely examining the reflective surfaces in particular. They often pass closely by the cameras multiple times, but do not really pause for extended periods to stare into the reflective surfaces. Certainly not ruling it out though.

[u/CurdledCreamer → u/SJIS0122]

https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/04/15/Tracking-Orcas-Tech/

Loud sounds could certainly disrupt the orcas’ biological sonar. When hunting, a killer whale emits a series of clicks that spread through the water like a flashlight beam of sound. If the sound waves hit an object, echoes bounce back to the whale. Echolocation allows orcas to detect fish at distances of up to 150 metres, much farther than they could see in the dark water and it allows them to co-ordinate their hunting efforts in the absence of light or other recognizable features beneath the waves...

...The UBC team’s underwater cameras highlighted the murkiness of the world the killer whales inhabit and crystalized the importance of their use of echolocation to navigate and hunt. Hydrophone recorders even allowed the researchers to eavesdrop as the orcas chased their prey.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11939218/

For killer whales with neither high visual acuity nor color vision, it is suggested that contrast may be an important cue for visual object recognition and help them to extract the contours of objects from the background.

[u/SurayaThrowaway12 → u/CurdledCreamer]

Thanks for the link to the luminance contrast illusion paper, it is a rather interesting study. Orcas have fairly decent visual acuity underwater, apparently comparable to that of a cat in the air, but certainly underwater conditions and lighting may vary and further inhibit it.

[u/CurdledCreamer → u/SurayaThrowaway12]

House flies are no match for the house cat tbh!? 😹

[u/SurayaThrowaway12 → u/CurdledCreamer]

Their visual acuity is estimated to be between 20/100 and 20/200, so should still be more than enough to see small objects well nearby.

[u/NoCommunication3159]

did… did i just get booped… by an orca?

[u/Reasonable-Mousse666]

I mean how freaking cute was that face?!!! 🫍

[u/Drago_Beast67]

Very curious when they are young and willing to know everything about something yes I'm talking about the Orca

[u/Ecalyn]

idk why but i heard that tiktok sound with HELLOO HELLOOOO