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Humans and orcas have a lot in common. Research shows killer whales feel a range of emotions, engage in play, and show affection. Orcas, like humans, also get hooked on fads<\/a>. They learn behaviors from each other, specifically from younger orcas. That learned behavior can spread around a pod and even between pods; three separate pods of orcas carried dead salmon on their heads<\/a> for a few weeks in 1987.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the latest fad among the endangered subpopulation of Iberian orcas, which live in the Strait of Gibraltar between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco, involves attacking boat rudders. The most recent target of this behavior was the Champagne<\/em>, a Swiss sailing yacht that sank while being towed to shore<\/a> after three orcas damaged its rudder on May 4. Before this incident, the orcas also sank sailboats in July<\/a> and November<\/a> 2022. (All passengers in the three incidents were safely rescued.)\u00a0<\/p>\n The recurring pattern has become the focus of much research since the first incident in May 2020. One study<\/a> from the journal Marine Mammal Science<\/em> details at least 49 incidents in which orcas made contact with boats in 2020 alone. Researchers recorded a total of 505 interactions between orcas and boats\u2014ranging from orcas simply swimming toward the boats to damaging them\u2014since 2020. Check out this footage from an orca encounter in October 2021 off the coast of Portugal:\u00a0<\/p>\n