For a long time, the great white shark reigned as the undisputed ruler of the seas. A new predator in the Pacific has cracked the code and uses brains over brawn to hunt the ocean’s most feared hunter. Off the coast of Mexico, a team of marine biologists observed orcas (Orcinus orca) attacking great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) with precision. Led by a dominant male named Moctezuma, these orcas belong to a population known for an opportunistic hunting style, with some individuals specializing in preying on sharks—a behavior previously recorded with whale sharks.
In two coordinated attacks, observed in 2020 and 2022, five orcas worked together to flip young great whites onto their backs. This move exploits a weakness: when a shark is turned upside down, it enters a state of total paralysis called tonic immobility. The orcas exploit this moment, extracting the shark’s liver, which is rich in fat and nutrients, before abandoning the rest of the carcass. The observations, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, reveal a collective and highly intelligent hunting strategy that uses the shark’s own biology against it.
Researchers captured two coordinated attacks, in 2020 and 2022, where five orcas worked together to flip young great whites onto their backs. This move exploits tonic immobility, allowing the orcas to extract the shark’s liver and leave the rest behind.
Summary: Orcas off Mexico exhibit a sophisticated, cooperative hunting strategy against great white sharks, leveraging tonic immobility to access valuable organs.