In an hours-long struggle, as many as 70 killer whales hunted down and killed a blue whale off the southwestern coast of Australia.
At first, it seemed like a normal day of whale watching, said Kristy Brown, a marine biologist. People on the boat happened to spot two groups of killer whales in Bremer Bay Canyon, about 28 miles off the coast. They were "playing and surfing the waves," Brown wrote in a blog post. But soon, people on the boat noticed that the killers were creating nonuniform waves. This was strange. Then there arose a long, high blow that stayed in the air. It was a blue whale.
Even though the blue whale was nearly twice the length of the largest killer whale, which can grow to lengths of about 31 feet, it couldn't shake off its pursuers. “It was completely surrounded by killer whales as it swam," Brown wrote in the blog. Moreover, the killers didn't appear to rush the hunt, but instead were strategic, thoughtful, collaborative, patient and persistent.
Multiple killers were on the animal, pushing roughly against it and swimming fast, beside and under it, while others just follow and rest along and beside the hunt, nearly 200m back. It seemed that “tiring out the blue was their goal," she noted.
Unlike the blue whale, killers have teeth, a weapon they used to chomp(咬)down on this blue whale's jaw. “As the blue whale spun and turned, the killers held on—they wanted its tongue,” Brown said. After hours of this fierce hunt, the blue whale succumbed to its attackers and the killers divided up the blue whale and shared with all involved in the depths below.
4. What made Brown realize the killer whales were unusual?
A.The waves they made. | B.The fountain they made. |
C.The direction they headed in. | D.The number of killer whales. |
5. What do we know from the third paragraph?
A.Blue whales are too large to be killed. |
B.Killer whales are experienced hunters. |
C.Killer whales swim slower than blue whales. |
D.A blue whale is twice the weight of a killer whale. |
6. What is described in paragraph 4?
A.The steps of the hunting. |
B.The cruelty of the hunting. |
C.The scene of the hunting. |
D.The preparation of the hunting. |
7. What is the probable meaning of the underlined part "succumbed to" in the last paragraph?
A.Got rid of. | B.Gave in to. |
C.Made up for. | D.Made room for. |