‘Shark-Hunting’ Orca Pod Using Brutal Trick To Kill Young Great Whites

[Dutch Uncle]

It's hard for me to feel sorry for the young Great White sharks, but it is brutal to be flipped over and have their livers eaten!

The article also notes that the pod behavior may have been learned over time and passed down to subsequent members which indicates to me a high level of intelligence.

"Shark-hunting" orca pod using brutal trick to kill young great whites

A pod of killer whales has found a devastating tactic that helps them sink their teeth into energy-rich shark livers.

www.newsweek.com

‘Shark-Hunting’ Orca Pod Using Brutal Trick To Kill Young Great Whites​

The orca is called the killer whale for a reason—and nothing demonstrates why quite like a recent scientific discovery about deadly encounters between orcas and young great white sharks.

A pod of orca whales in the Gulf of California has been observed using a calculated and brutal hunting strategy to target and kill their unforunate great white victims.

The killer whales have been documented repeatedly flipping the young sharks upside-down—which induces in them a state of paralysis—before ripping out their nutrient-rich livers.

According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, these observations suggest that orcas may be hunting great white sharks more often than previously understood.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Another article on the same subject:

World’s Deadliest Shark Has Its Liver Sucked Out By Orcas In Gruesome Video

Now, for the first time, orcas are repeatedly targeting juvenile great whites.

www.iflscience.com

Why do orcas eat sharks’ livers?​

To kill an adult great white is no small task. These predators are typically 4.5 meters (15 feet) long and can weigh up to 2,267 kilograms (5,000 pounds), but orcas aren't interested in eating the entire fish. Oh no, they’re after the liver.

“Marine mammals, including orcas, store energy reserves in their blubber layer,” study author Salvador Jorgensen, a marine ecologist and faculty in the School of Natural Sciences at Cal State Monterey Bay, told IFLScience. “However, white sharks cache energy in their liver.”

“The liver of an adult white shark can weigh over 600 kilograms [1,323 pounds] and is very rich in calories. An orca can immobilize a fully grown white shark and remove the liver in minutes. It is not by chance that orcas around the world favor the liver – they know where the good stuff is.”

View: https://vimeo.com/1128091971/091d874ece

Orca VS White shark

Aerial footage of orcas hunting juvenile white sharks in the Gulf of California, México. Video credit: Erick Higuera and Marco Villegas

vimeo.com

 

[Phantasmal]

Another article on the same subject:

World’s Deadliest Shark Has Its Liver Sucked Out By Orcas In Gruesome Video

Now, for the first time, orcas are repeatedly targeting juvenile great whites.

www.iflscience.com

Why do orcas eat sharks’ livers?​

To kill an adult great white is no small task. These predators are typically 4.5 meters (15 feet) long and can weigh up to 2,267 kilograms (5,000 pounds), but orcas aren't interested in eating the entire fish. Oh no, they’re after the liver.

“Marine mammals, including orcas, store energy reserves in their blubber layer,” study author Salvador Jorgensen, a marine ecologist and faculty in the School of Natural Sciences at Cal State Monterey Bay, told IFLScience. “However, white sharks cache energy in their liver.”

“The liver of an adult white shark can weigh over 600 kilograms [1,323 pounds] and is very rich in calories. An orca can immobilize a fully grown white shark and remove the liver in minutes. It is not by chance that orcas around the world favor the liver – they know where the good stuff is.”

View: https://vimeo.com/1128091971/091d874ece

Nature is fascinating!