Pictures and videos have revealed new, specialised hunting techniques used by killer whales to attack the world’s largest fish, according to scientists.
On four occasions caught on video, a group of orcas preyed on whale sharks in the Gulf of California.
The orcas would work together to hit the whale shark until it turned upside down.
A killer whale hits the ventral side of the whale shark. Pic: Kelsey Williamson
A killer whale hits the shark with the side of its head. Pic: Kelsey Williamson
“In that position the sharks enter a state of tonic immobility and can no longer move voluntarily or escape by going deeper,” said Erick Higuera Rivas, a marine biologist at Conexiones Terramar and senior author of the Frontiers in Marine Science article.
“By keeping it under control, the orcas then have greater ease and speed in approaching the pelvic area of the shark and are able to extract organs of nutritional importance for them.”
Killer whales surface to breath before taking the whale shark down and delivering a rapid, final blow. Pic: Kelsey Williamson
This is the first time marine scientists have documented the technique in detail.
In the attacks, caught on video between 2018 and 2024, the orcas killed young whale sharks that gathered in the Gulf of California to feed.
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“We show how orcas displayed a collaboratively hunting technique on whale sharks, characterized by focusing on attacking the pelvic area causing the whale shark to bleed out and allow orcas access to the lipid-rich liver,” said Mr Higuera Rivas.
The research has implications beyond showing how orcas hunt.
Moctezuma, the adult male of the pod, is identified as one of the killer whales involved in the attack. Pic: James Moskito
Individual orcas were identified by analysing photographs of their dorsal fins and distinctive features like scars.
One orca called Moctezuma was present at three of the attacks and a female orca previously seen with Moctezuma also participated once, suggesting they could be related or members of the same pod.
If there’s a hunting pod present in the gulf, Mr Higuera Rivas says protections need to be brought in to make sure they are not damaged by tourism and marine adventurers, as well as by longer-term implications of climate change.
“There must be a specific regulatory norm that guarantees that any type of non-extractive use activity is carried out in a respectful and sustainable manner,” he said.
