Known to researchers as CA2, this Orca turns the tables and attacks sharks! She’s a 25 foot long female who seeks out, hunts down, and kills great white sharks for their livers.
Apparently Orcas, not sharks, are the true apex-killers in the ocean. Although its rare to see a killer whale attack a shark, there are photos and even an actual video of CA2 tearing apart a great white.
This is crazy, I mean, why not just throw a silverback gorilla in there to top it off ..
Most of the time killer whales prey on sea lions, sting ray, salmon, and whales.. even large whales! Their hunting techniques seem to go beyond those of a shark’s though and border on the wild, outrageous, and intelligent.
Besides the distinction of being the only animal besides humans known to hunt and kill sharks, orcas often show strong intelligence as they stalk their prey. For example, some species of orcas have learned to sneak up on sea lion pups on the beach! The result is a dramatic blast from the ocean with water and sand flying as the killer whale snatches the baby sea lion, flipping it behind with its tail and into the ocean. They’ll then play with the poor lion by flinging it back and forth with other orcas before eventually eating.
As the story goes, orcas got their name from attacking and killing whales. Whalers who witnessed this called them “whale killers”. Somehow the name was transposed along the way and they ended up being called “killer whales”. There is actually a well-documented attack on a blue whale, the largest mammal on the planet off the coast of Mexico where several orcas attacked it and nearly brought it down.
Despite all the attention and notoriety given to sharks, Orcas are the true top predators of the sea.
Tags: Killer Whale, orca, shark, video
