When Orcas “Attack” – Alexandra Johnston on the world’s most infamous whales

About this episode

Alexandra Johnston discusses the misconceptions surrounding orca behavior and the impact of social media on public perception.

Iberian orca guardian, Alexandra Johnston, talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about hanging out with the world's most infamous orcas. On orcas as click-bait – the orcas who are “attacking” boats and how social media is creating orca hysteria. “Blue fin tuna is their main prey source. They are fish eaters, not boat eaters.” Alexandra Johnston. “I really feel these orcas have been used as click-bait for the last five years.” On the infamous White Gladys: “She's a part of this family that's fighting to survive. She's very authoritative, she's very dominant, she's very curious, but she's not this bloodthirsty tyrant leading this orca rebellion!” Skaana on social media: Linktree Facebook Bluesky Instagram Mark on social media: Linktree Facebook Bluesky Instagram Threads Shownotes: 2:22 Meet Alexandra Johnston – an “orca attack” survivor. 3:35 “These guys blew my mind… I was just fascinated from my first encounter.” – Alexandra Johnson 4:35 The first time she met an Iberian orcas and the magic of encountering their superpod. 6:34 Meeting the “infamous” White Gladys and her newborn baby, Atlas. 8:14 On the first time she saw a wild orca. 10:45 “It's…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Leiren-Young

Guest: Alexandra Johnston

Topics covered

• orcas
• social media
• marine life
• wildlife conservation

Keywords

• Iberian orca
• click-bait
• White Gladys
• blue fin tuna

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Audible

Books & works: Killer Whales, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, The Orca Bites, Octopus Ocean, Sharks Forever, Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Orcas Everywhere on, Orcas Everywhere, Orcas of the Salish Sea & Big Whales, Small World Paint the Ocean You Wish to See

Places: Peninsula

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• Misty MacDuffee on the Southern Resident Orcas and the Threat of Bright Extinction · September 29, 2025 · 58 min
• The Killer Whale That Changed the World · July 16, 2025 · 59 min
• Mark Leiren-Young – Sharks Forever and Jaws Forever? · July 2, 2025 · 16 min
• David Shiffman – On 50 Years of Jaws vs. Sharks · June 18, 2025 · 44 min