Orcas in the California Bay Appear to Develop Unique Skills to Hunt and Kill Whale Sharks, the Largest Fish in the World.
Whale sharks, which can grow up to 18 meters long, feed in the California Bay, and there are anecdotal reports of them being preyed upon by orcas. Researchers have gathered direct evidence of orcas attacking whale sharks. They captured photos and videos of orcas hunting whale sharks and used this data to assess their hunting strategies in a new study set to be published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, as reported by Independent on November 26.
Orcas in Southern California. (Photo: KTLA).
The latest study analyzed images and videos from four predation events that occurred over six years up to 2024 in the southern California Bay. In these cases, orcas seemed to demonstrate cooperative hunting strategies to kill whale sharks. The attacks were characterized by orcas targeting the pelvic region of the whale sharks, particularly focusing on the pectoral fins and the abdominal area. The whale sharks were temporarily immobilized and flipped over, allowing the orcas to access their fat-rich liver.
Orcas Targeting the Lower Abdomen is likely due to this area being the least protected part of the whale shark, which has a low amount of muscle and cartilage. However, there is no photographic evidence of orcas consuming whale shark livers. The research team suspects that orcas in the California Bay are developing unique skills to hunt whale sharks, and this knowledge may spread within the population.
Photos show an adult male orca that Mexican researchers nicknamed “Moctezuma” participating in three of the four hunting events. Female orcas present in the fourth event had previously appeared alongside Moctezuma. This finding reveals the intelligence of apex predators in the ocean.
Previously, researchers had filmed orcas eating dolphins for the first time off the coast of Chile. A few months prior, they also described a case of a solitary orca hunting and preying on a great white shark off the coast of South Africa.
