Killer whales have a grisly new technique for hunting juvenile great white sharks – and scientists caught it on camera.
Killer whales have been behaving pretty strangely over the last few years – from devouring dolphins to sinking ships. Now, new research reveals they’ve also developed a gruesome killing tactic so that they can feast on the livers of young great white sharks.
It’s not easy to take down the world’s scariest fish, but a pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, in the Gulf of California have learned how to do it. Working together, they flip the shark upside down – a move that paralyses it – before tearing out its energy-rich liver to share.
What’s more, they’ve been caught on camera doing it.
Is this sort of grisly murder normal for killer whales? Yes, Prof Callum Roberts, marine biologist at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the study, told BBC Science Focus.
“Orcas may be the most intelligent of all marine creatures, judging by their endless creativity in catching prey. In the distant past, they targeted whales caught by industrial whaling vessels and ate their tongues.”
While incidences of killer whales eating adult great whites have been recorded in recent years, these new observations are the first evidence of repeated targeting with precise hunting techniques.
