The relationship between predator and prey is intricately connected; without one, the other cannot survive. Sharks seem to fulfill the mission of eliminating weaker individuals from the group, allowing the remaining members to thrive. In this regard, sharks become agents of life rather than destruction, playing a crucial role beneath the sea and serving as an indispensable part of the underwater ecosystem. For centuries, the fate of sharks has been perceived as creatures that should be eradicated rather than protected.
Around 25 million years ago, the ancestors of sharks existed at a much larger size than today. They were massive fish with teeth over 15 meters long, weighing up to 50 tons. Their teeth measured 15 cm in length, with serrated edges designed to tear apart their prey. Their jaws were so large that they could easily swallow a dolphin whole. However, this giant shark species went extinct 2 million years ago for mysterious reasons, leaving behind descendants that are the sharks we know today, dominating the oceans.
Do they truly dominate the oceans? Do sharks have enemies? As the monsters of the sea, do sharks yield to any creatures? In the vast ocean, safety is merely an illusion; death lurks and can strike at any moment without mercy. No matter the lineage of these oceanic monsters, they cannot escape this law!
The ocean nurtures a special lineage within its depths, species that have forsaken the land to return to the sea: the dolphins (Delphinidae). These uniquely intelligent creatures are often characterized by humans as playful, capable of using echolocation to hunt and navigate the vast ocean, and are skilled divers.
The unruly offspring of the dolphin species is the Orca (Orcinus orca), also known as the killer whale. Not as gentle and peaceful as their relatives, Orcas are truly the wolves of the sea; they are exceptionally intelligent, aggressive, and formidable. As the largest dolphin species, adorned in black and white, Orcas seem destined to be the fiercest predators of the ocean. They are the only dolphins known to attack whales (both dolphins and whales belong to the cetacean order), the only dolphins that toss their prey on the surface before consuming it, and the only dolphins that know how to return to land to hunt and pass on hunting skills to future generations! Even sharks sometimes benefit from the leftovers after a pod of Orcas has feasted to their fill, leaving little of the prey behind. They roam the seas without retreating from any foe, even if that foe is the ocean’s fearsome predator, the shark!
The struggle between dolphins and sharks is an eternal tale of the sea. And the Orca has become the number one enemy of sharks. Their social lifestyle has emboldened these killer whales to fear no opponent. For centuries, killer whales and sharks have created endless legends about their battle for dominance at the apex of the oceanic food pyramid.
