Humpback Whales Protect Calves from Killers

Each spring off the coast of California humpback whales gather to feed. They’ve spent the winter in warm tropical waters, where they birth their pups and mate. Now they migrate north, accompanied by their new calves, to feed in colder waters rich in plankton and fish. Sea lions also gather here in large numbers to feed, sometimes forming hunting rafts a thousand strong, with whales and the sea lions fishing together. But danger lurks here too. Pods of orcas patrol the coast. These killer whales hunt the calves of gray whales. In an extraordinary moment captured on camera, we see a pod of humpbacks drive orca away from their kill. It’s a behavior that’s been witnessed before but remains little understood

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