Scientists have released new footage showing orcas hunting and feeding on great white sharks in Mexican waters, marking the first recorded instance of such behavior outside South Africa.
The findings, published Monday in Frontiers in Marine Science, document two separate encounters in the Gulf of California where pods of killer whales were observed attacking juvenile great whites.
Marine biologist and documentarian Erick Higuera-Rivas, who captured the footage from a nearby vessel, said the recordings were taken during two separate expeditions — one in 2020 and another in 2022.
The videos show orcas targeting the sharks’ livers, a highly fatty organ that makes up about one-fourth of a great white’s body mass and provides significant energy.
Researchers detailed how the orcas flipped the young sharks upside down to immobilize them — a behavior known as “tonic immobility” — before slicing them open and removing their livers.
In one of the videos, every member of the pod took turns sharing the liver as the shark’s body drifted toward the ocean floor.
A sea lion can also be seen in the footage approaching the feeding orcas, appearing to look for leftovers.
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The whales responded by blowing a stream of bubbles, which scientists believe was an attempt to deter the sea lion from approaching.
Higuera-Rivas said he realized the significance of his recording only after reviewing the footage.
“I saw in the monitor that the shark had the liver hanging out on the side, already popped off. And a few minutes later, they came up with the liver in their mouth,” he told NBC News.
“I was surprised that it could be a great white. I was not believing it.”
Until now, most documented cases of orcas hunting great white sharks have come from South Africa, where the phenomenon has been observed for years.
Carcasses of great whites have frequently washed ashore in the region, often missing their livers — a telltale sign of orca predation.
The new research expands the known range of this behavior and suggests that orcas may be developing similar hunting strategies across different regions.
“A great white shark’s liver is very fatty and nutritious, and it provides a lot of energy,” said Francesca Pancaldi, a marine scientist with the Instituto Politécnico Nacional Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas and a co-author of the study.
The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, is one of the world’s most biologically diverse marine ecosystems.
Researchers have long documented orca populations in the area, but until these recent sightings, there had been no verified evidence that they targeted great white sharks as prey.
The study’s authors say the findings could provide new insight into how orcas adapt their feeding behaviors to different environments and available food sources.
The researchers believe that orcas’ ability to selectively hunt for high-energy organs like livers demonstrates advanced coordination and intelligence within their pods.
The footage captured by Higuera-Rivas and his team will be used for further study on predator-prey interactions between large marine species in the region.
Scientists plan to continue monitoring orca behavior in the Gulf of California to determine whether these hunts are becoming a recurring event or remain isolated incidents.
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