It is a fact that when it comes to the underwater food chain, the sharks dominate. But not for long as the ferocious predator met its nemesis. Killer whales or orcas are now feasting on the fearsome sharks.
A rare footage was taken by drone pilot Slater Moore on Tuesday while aboard the SeaWolfe II along with the Monterey Bay Whale Watch. The crew spotted a pod of 25 killer whales and is certain that a feast is being shared by two females and two calves. This prompts Moore to navigate his drone to the venue.
"And all of a sudden one of them brought it up, brought up the whole shark - and it was still alive, it was squirming around," says Katlyn Taylor, a marine biologist with the company. A living shark is the most badass baby food on the planet.
According to The Verge, the offshore killer whales only surface in Monterey Bay annually or so. However, it is still a puzzle where the Cetaceans spend its time in between though scientist knew they have ascended all the way from Southern California to Alaska. Killer whales that often visit the water of the Monterey Bay are referred as transient killer whales which primarily eat other mammals.
Orcas (Orcinus Orca) have been also discovered to attack, kill, and eat sharks with a technique called "karate chop". This method drives the shark to the water surface and then raises their tail and crashing it down to the shark, suchlike to a martial artist performing a karate chop. Afterwards, the killer whale will grab the shark and flips it over by grabbing its tail just like what a martial artist do.
Killer whales disable its shark preys by grabbing and flipping it over through tonic immobility. Once the shark is flipped to its stomach, it becomes immobilized allowing the killer whale to successfully paralyze and attack it. Generally speaking, sharks are not part of the killer whale's menu but when food becomes scarce or insufficient, that is the time that orcas will kill and eat anything in its way.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch said that the pod of offshore killer whales usually target sharks and bony fishes, aside from other fishes, crustaceans and squid, according to SFGate.
Sharks that have been recorded being attacked and eaten by orcas include threshers, hammerhead, makos, whale sharks, and even the vicious great white sharks.