--- title: "Orcas Are Apparently Attacking Boats Almost Every Day Now" description: "Whale of a Tale For weeks now, the internet has been encouraging orcas to \"do their thing\" — and it appears the orcas are listening. In an interview with PBS, a man who runs a website that tracks orca sightings and encounters off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where in recent months orcas have increasingly […]" date: "2023-06-16" modified: "2023-06-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/orcas-attacking-boats-almost-every-day" categories: - "Biology" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "animals" - "marine biology" - "orcas" - "the digest" --- # Orcas Are Apparently Attacking Boats Almost Every Day Now ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Whale of a Tale For weeks now, the internet has been enraptured by orcas attacking ships and [even pleasure yachts]() — and the ferocious cetaceans show no sign of letting up. In a [new interview with *PBS*](), a man who runs a website that tracks orca sightings and encounters off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where in recent months orcas have [increasingly attacked]() and [sunken boats](), said the angry whales are keeping busy. "We are having one incident every day, on average, OK?" Rui Alves, the creator of [orcas.pt](), told the public broadcaster. "There are days we have two or three." Alves' [map for June](), it's worth pointing out, shows only 12 attacks so far this month — all of which took place in the Strait of Gibraltar, the area between Spain and Morocco — which falls mildly short of one attack per day, but point taken: they're still at it. ![]() ## Gladis Games In his brief interview, the site creator said he made orcas.pt to help captains know what might await them when they set sail. "If you spread the word about something that happens in an area, people will avoid that area," Alves told *PBS*. "Maybe they will keep the boat and say, 'I don't sail today because there are many orcas at that point. I will sail tomorrow, or maybe I will go in another direction.'" As *PBS* notes, these Iberian orcas were already unique before these attacks began happening because they're both a genetically distinct subpopulation, and because they're [critically endangered](). While nobody knows why the orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar keep attacking boats, one prevailing theory suggests that a female in the pod known as White Gladis may be exacting revenge for an injury gleaned from a boat rudder. As one might guess, some captains and crews have, [as *Newsweek* reported earlier in the week](), begun arming themselves against the pod — though one captain whose vessels have twice been attacked by White Gladis' gang said that that's not the way to handle the situation. "Bottom line," Kriz said, "is we are in their territory." It seems, per the orcas.pt maps, at least, that White Gladis would agree. **More on animal attacks:** [*Hawaii Menaced by Furious Wild Chickens*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()