Orcas are now using ‘special’ methods to kill the world’s biggest shark

Killer Whales are learning new skills to help them hunt the world’s biggest shark, scientists say.

Orcas are now hunting in packs to kill whale sharks, predominantly in the Gulf of California.

It is thought that the killer whales have gained ‘special’ knowledge over the last six years which enables them to hunt in a way they have never been able to before.

And some of the attacks have been caught on video and in photos by witnesses.

Erick Higuera Rivas, a marine biologist who led the study which captured the hunting events in the Gulf of California between 2018 and 2024, spoke of killer whales’ new hunting methods in a press release.

He said: ‘When hunting, all pod members work together, hitting the whale shark to turn it upside down.

‘In that position, the sharks enter a state of tonic immobility and can no longer move voluntarily or escape by going deeper.

‘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.’

Researchers believe that orcas choose to attack the shark’s pelvis area because it is where the their bodies are thought to be least protected.

Such hunting methods have been described as ‘special,’ and have even seen killer whales attack great white sharks.

Orcas also ganged up and killed a blue whale in 2022.

In one case, a group of the species shockingly managed to sink a boat off the coast of Gibraltar, leaving European yachters worried.

Within the concerned study, Orcas were noticed gathering off the coast of the Gulf of California to prey on infant whale sharks.

The earlier mentioned Higuera Rivas noted that such a fact is worrying, and only increases the need for managing marine adventurers and tourists.

He added: ‘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.’

Researchers recorded four different orca attacks on whale sharks, with one killer whale, named Moctezuma, present as three of the four hunts.

In footage captured by onlookers, Moctezuma is filmed circling an injured whale shark before being joined by his hunting group, who have managed to flip the prey upside down.

Higuera Rives noted that such a clip highlights what ‘great predators’ killer whales are.

Orcas new methods are of particular concern to whale sharks though, who were listed as an endangered species back in 2016.

The global population of the world’s largest shark has plummeted by more than 50 per cent in the last 75 years.

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