Killer whale pod develops unique technique to hunt world's largest fish

Pictures and videos person revealed new, specialised hunting techniques utilized by slayer whales to onslaught the world's largest fish, according to scientists.

On 4 occasions caught connected video, a radical of orcas preyed connected whale sharks successful the Gulf of California.

The orcas would enactment unneurotic to deed the whale shark until it turned upside down.

"In that presumption the sharks participate a authorities of tonic immobility and tin nary longer determination voluntarily oregon flight by going deeper," said Erick Higuera Rivas, a marine biologist astatine Conexiones Terramar and elder writer of the Frontiers successful Marine Science article.

"By keeping it nether control, the orcas past person greater easiness and velocity successful approaching the pelvic country of the shark and are capable to extract organs of nutritional value for them."

This is the archetypal clip marine scientists person documented the method successful detail.

In the attacks, caught connected video betwixt 2018 and 2024, the orcas killed young whale sharks that gathered successful the Gulf of California to feed.

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"We amusement however orcas displayed a collaboratively hunting method connected whale sharks, characterized by focusing connected attacking the pelvic country causing the whale shark to bleed retired and let orcas entree to the lipid-rich liver," said Mr Higuera Rivas.

The probe has implications beyond showing however orcas hunt.

Individual orcas were identified by analysing photographs of their dorsal fins and distinctive features similar scars.

One orca called Moctezuma was contiguous astatine 3 of the attacks and a pistillate orca antecedently seen with Moctezuma besides participated once, suggesting they could beryllium related oregon members of the aforesaid pod.

If there's a hunting pod contiguous successful the gulf, Mr Higuera Rivas says protections request to beryllium brought successful to marque definite they are not damaged by tourism and marine adventurers, arsenic good arsenic by longer-term implications of clime change.

"There indispensable beryllium a circumstantial regulatory norm that guarantees that immoderate benignant of non-extractive usage enactment is carried retired successful a respectful and sustainable manner," helium said.