Orca filmed hunting great white sharks and eating their livers

Killer whales were filmed feeding on the liver of a great white shark in the Gulf of California.

The researchers who captured these moments wrote their conclusions in the journal on Monday, October 3 Frontiers of Marine Scienceexplained that until recently, the creatures had only been observed preying on these sharks in South Africa.

New footage captures a “shark hunting swarm” in the Gulf of California that appears to be targeting juvenile white sharks. The young creatures are turned over before their “energy-rich” liver is removed to share with the rest of the pod. The researchers note in the journal that they believe the orcas are taking advantage of local shark sanctuaries to hunt younger sharks that are easier to subdue.

Orca— Also known as killer whale – The white shark's only known natural predator was captured in two separate incidents in 2020 and 2022.

In the first video, captured in August 2020, five female orcas were seen pushing a young great white shark to the surface. new scientists.

Erick Higuera-Rivas, the biologist who captured the video and led the study, told the outlet: “The orca hit the great white shark so hard that it flipped it upside down.”

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The technique is used to temporarily paralyze sharks, allowing the whales to extract the livers of their prey.

The orcas then shared the livers with each other before attacking another young great white shark again.

In August 2022, researchers captured another pod of whales attacking a juvenile great white shark.

“I saw on the monitor that the shark's liver was hanging off the side and had detached. A few minutes later, they had the liver in their mouth,” Higuera Rivas told NBC News. “I was surprised that it could be a great white shark. I couldn't believe it.”

The study's lead author added BBC Wildlife Magazine This behavior demonstrates “the orcas' advanced intelligence, strategic thinking, and complex social learning capabilities as hunting techniques are passed down from generation to generation within their groups.”

Heather Bowlby, a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told the media that the research shows that even sharks considered apex predators can become prey themselves.

“We're used to thinking of white sharks as being at the top of the food chain,” she said. “It’s always amazing to be reminded that you are prey.”