It may be easy for some people to believe that whales are naturally aggressive or dangerous due to their large size and numerous stories since the beginning of time.
While whales can be dangerous at times, circumstances where whales injure humans are extremely rare.
For the most part, whales tend to be very solitary animals, and people generally are not within close enough proximity to be harmed by a whale, even if the whales are dangerous or aggressive.
Most people will never come close enough to a whale to worry about whether it is friendly or aggressive toward humans.
When humans approach whales, it is usually on a boat or aquarium around smaller whales such as the beluga.
When divers approach whales in the ocean, the diver is generally so small that whales do not feel any threats towards them.
Aside from this, it is also important to point out that humans are too large for whales to consume.
Most species have relatively small throats that cannot swallow anything close to a human’s size.
Most whales eat a diet consisting of fish, krill, and other small creatures (not mammals).
This selective diet significantly decreases the likelihood that a whale will be unfriendly to a human or try to eat them, so they have little reason to be aggressive towards people.
Let’s look at whales in the media in many cases.
Whales can be seen swimming close to underwater photographers and videographers, interacting with whale watchers in certain countries, and even following large ships out of curiosity.
As a species, whales are generally non-violent and do not display aggressive behaviors toward humans.
However, when a whale feels threatened or frightened, it may defend itself by attacking what it thinks is a potential threat.
While whale attacks occur infrequently, it is essential to acknowledge that these situations can occasionally happen, although these behaviors are infrequent.
A whale may attack a boat or other potential threat if it has experienced abuse in the past or becomes frightened due to loud noises or unfamiliar reactions caused by a ship or group of people.
In the past, whales may have also become aggressive when attacked by whalers or large ships threatening their well-being.
From a historical perspective, whales do appear to be non-aggressive.
Their relatives, the dolphin species, tend to be very friendly and curious toward humans, often displaying a desire to greet and meet people.
However, even though dolphins often display amiable behavior, the same advice must be given that people should take caution when interacting with dolphins.
They may also show signs of aggression if they are threatened or frightened. Dolphins have attacked people in the wild that were previously abused.
So while it’s possible to conclude that whales are either non-aggressive or friendly in most situations, it is important always to be careful when you are close to these marine mammals.