A total of four hunting events were documented. They are attacks by orcas on the whale shark. It is the largest fish in the world. It happened in the waters of the Gulf of California.
These are coordinated attacks. The killer whales targeted the sharks’ pelvic area, causing them to bleed out and giving them access to the liver. It would be a specialized pack of hunters in the Gulf of California, the researchers conclude.
Orcas can feed on marine mammals, turtles and fish. But this pack could have acquired new skills. Thus, they hunt whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, which grows up to 18 meters long.
Predators
Whale sharks feed at aggregation sites in the Gulf of California. During this stage of life, they are most vulnerable to predation. «Now the orcas deployed a collaborative hunting technique on the whale sharks. They bleed the whale shark to access the lipid-rich liver,” Erick Higuera Rivas said in a statement. He is a marine biologist from Conexiones Terramar. «One individual participated in three of the four events. “It is a pack specialized in hunting sharks.”
Gathering the data the scientists needed was not easy. Attacks cannot be predicted. Access to images and videos may be limited. The quality of the images is often too low to reliably identify animals.
What does it mean that there is a whale shark hunting pod in the Gulf of California? The need to manage marine adventurers and tourists increases. “There must be a regulatory standard that guarantees that any activity is respectful and sustainable,” said Higuera Rivas.
Strategic intelligence
Orca attacks on whale sharks could affect the ecosystem. The herd could be vulnerable to a possible disappearance of this specific prey due to climate change in the region.
Researchers hope to better understand their unique adaptations to their needs and geographic location. “It is very impressive how the orcas work together strategically and intelligently to access only a very specific area of the prey. This highlights how great predators they are,” concluded Higuera Rivas.
