Killer Whales Hunt Young Great White Sharks For Their Livers, Stun Them With Paralyzing Flip

Sharks are usually the hunters, but these killer whales have developed a surprising new way to enjoy a meal.

An orca swims next to a shark with a visible wound. (Image by Marco Villegas)

Off the coast of Mexico, a pod of killer whales has developed a specialized hunting technique. They flip juvenile great white sharks upside down in a way that likely triggers a trance-like paralysis, then extract their livers while discarding the rest of the carcass.

Researchers captured two attacks on video: one in August 2020 and another in August 2022, at nearly the same spot in the Gulf of California. Both times, the orcas targeted sharks about two meters long, around six and a half feet. The footage reveals a deliberate method: repeated strikes, maneuvering the young sharks belly-up in what likely induces tonic immobility, a physiological state that leaves them defenseless and unable to move.

Once the shark goes limp, the killer whales access the liver with precision. In one attack, the organ emerged intact at the surface. An adult female held it in her mouth, its distinctive two-lobed shape clearly visible. She released it to another whale. For several minutes, four pod members passed the liver between them before finally consuming it.

During one sequence, a California sea lion tried to grab a piece. The orcas drove it off by exhaling bubbles. The researchers noted in their study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, that the killer whales shared the liver among pod members, including calves.

A Pod That Adapts Its Methods
Photo analysis identified at least three killer whales from the 2020 incident as members of the “Moctezuma pod,” a group documented hunting multiple shark and ray species across the Gulf of California between 2018 and 2023.

The pod adapts its technique to each prey type. When hunting Munk’s pygmy devil rays, they target stragglers at the edge of schools, grabbing them by the wingtip before repositioning to control the head. Pelagic stingrays get slammed with forceful tail strikes to stun them and avoid their venomous spines. Bull sharks require different handling altogether.

For white sharks, the flipping technique likely induces paralysis and allows access to the liver without risking a bite. A 2.5-meter white shark can generate bite forces exceeding 3,000 newtons, enough to cause serious injury and derail an attack.

This behavioral flexibility sets the pod apart. Killer whale populations worldwide tend to focus on narrow prey types, with distinct groups hunting fish, marine mammals, or sharks. The Moctezuma pod hunts at least six elasmobranch species using adapted methods for each, which points to an unusually diverse skill set.

Shark livers offer high nutritional rewards. These massive, oil-rich organs can comprise up to a third of the animal’s total weight. For an orca, it is high-calorie fuel for relatively low effort once the extraction technique is learned.

But learning that technique requires practice and coordination. The 2020 footage shows the process unfolding. One young female pushed the shark from below toward the surface while it bled from its underside. The whales took turns controlling the inverted shark, working together. After several minutes underwater, an adult female surfaced with the liver and began passing it among the pod.

Seven minutes into the video, the whales attacked a second juvenile white shark. This one was worked over repeatedly until its liver began protruding from the right side of its body, partially exposed. At eleven minutes, the shark sank motionless. Pink tissue floated at the surface.

The 2022 attack followed a similar pattern. An adult female surfaced with the shark held below, mouth open, large pectoral fins visible. The characteristic black tips on the underside of white shark pectorals can be seen in the footage. The shark bled from its gills, liver exposed on the left side. Minutes later, pieces of liver tissue appeared in the mouths of the females. The adult male and a calf fed at the surface. Seabirds including boobies, gulls, pelicans, and frigates arrived to scavenge scraps.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/killer-whales-hunt-with-paralyzing-flip/