Killer Whale Pod Members Team Together When Hunting Whale Sharks

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Orcas can get organized. When hunting for whale sharks — the world’s largest fish — a pod of killer whales appears to target the youngest most vulnerable sharks, ram them to turn them upside done — thus immobilizing them, and will then focus on high value organs like the heart and liver.

Although there have been scattered reports of such incidents, scientists in Mexico recorded and studied four specific attacks, analyzed them, and described them in an article in Frontiers in Marine Science. Orcas have also been recorded hunting great white sharks solo. The article documents what appears to be systematic, coordinated attacks.

“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,” Erick Higuera Rivas, a marine biologist at Conexiones Terramar and an author of the article said in a press release . “When hunting, all pod members work together, hitting the whale shark to turn it upside down.”

Read More: Instead of Hunting in Groups, Orcas May be Attacking Great White Sharks Alone

Capturing the Killer Whale Hunt

Killer whales surface to breath before taking whale shark down and delivering a rapid, final blow. (Credit: Kelsey Williamson)

Turning the prey upside down essentially immobilizes it, preventing it from swimming away or diving deeper. The tactic also exposes the prey’s most vulnerable area. A whale shark’s undercarriage — or ventral side — has less protection from bone or cartilage than its dorsal side. It also provides easier access to nutrient-rich organs like the heart and liver. However, the scientists were unable to record the orcas eating specific organs.

Members of the public and the scientists captured four such hunts on video between 2018 and 2024 in the southern Gulf of California. The scientists identified individual pod members through distinctive dorsal fins, scars, and other markings.

One male, named Moctezuma, participated in three of the four recorded hunts. A female — seen with him in other circumstances — also joined in one hunt.

It’s possible one specific pod developed, then honed, these group-hunting tactics. Other pods might use similar strategies, but so far there is little evidence that this is a … Read More