In a surprising discovery, researchers from the Cetacean Research Centre have found that killer whales, also known as orcas, are not just hunting great white sharks, but also the largest animals on Earth. The team, led by John A. Totterdell, has published data in the journal Marine Mammal Science, which shows that these intelligent and agile predators hunt in groups and have successfully taken down blue whales. The researchers were able to capture three successful hunts on video in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia.
The first hunt was observed in 2019 when the team was on a research vessel in the area. They saw a group of about 50 orcas attacking a nearly 20-meter-long blue whale. The orcas repeatedly bit into the whale’s body until some of its bones were exposed. Despite the blue whale’s attempts to defend itself with its massive tail, it eventually bled to death from its numerous wounds. The orcas then spent about five hours feeding on the carcass before it sank to the ocean floor. In a shocking display, a female orca even swam into the dead whale’s mouth to eat its tongue.
The researchers observed two more hunts in the same region, one in 2019 and another in 2021. In both cases, the orcas successfully hunted smaller blue whales. Previously, it was known that orcas hunted humpback and gray whales, which are slightly smaller than blue whales but still much larger than orcas. Orcas also regularly prey on fish and squid, but these new findings suggest that they are capable of taking down even the largest animals in the ocean.
