A group of little-studied deep-sea-dwelling orcas sometimes rams prey and catapults sea lions, according to a report in PLOS ONE.
Those observations by scientists from the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) are notable because deep-water-grazing orcas may represent a new subcategory of killer whales, according to another study in Aquatic Mammals. Orca categories — called ecotypes — include residents, transients, and offshores. The “deep-water-transient” subtype sightings are also important because they happen so infrequently.
