A group of orcas in the Gulf of California has been filmed using remarkable skill to hunt young great white sharks, flipping them onto their backs to reach the nutrient-packed liver. The group, known as Moctezuma’s pod, may be exploiting shifts in ocean temperatures that have changed shark nursery zones. These warmer waters could be pushing inexperienced juveniles into new regions where the orcas can more easily ambush them. Scientists say the behavior hints that orcas may target white sharks more frequently than once thought, though more data will be needed to confirm that pattern.
“I believe that orcas that eat elasmobranchs — sharks and rays — could eat a great white shark, if they wanted to, anywhere they went looking for one,” said marine biologist Erick Higuera Rivas, project director at Conexiones Terramar and Pelagic Life and lead author of the article in Frontiers in Marine Science. “This behavior is a testament to orcas’ advanced intelligence, strategic thinking, and sophisticated social learning, as the hunting techniques are passed down through generations within their pods.”
Predators become prey
Researchers documented two separate hunting events in which three white sharks were killed while they were conducting regular orca monitoring. Each encounter was carefully recorded, and the individual orcas were identified by markings on their dorsal fins.
In the first incident, observed in August 2020, five orcas pursued a juvenile white shark, driving it to the surface and working together to flip it over. They then dragged it below and resurfaced with the shark’s liver. Moments later, they repeated the same coordinated attack on another juvenile. Two years later, in August 2022, scientists witnessed a similar sequence: five orcas pushed a young white shark onto its back, causing it to bleed from the gills. Its exposed liver confirmed what was happening as the orcas fed on it.
When turned upside down, a shark enters a temporary paralysis known as tonic immobility, which occurs when its awareness of its environment is disrupted.
“This temporary state renders the shark defenseless, allowing the orcas to extract its nutrient-rich liver and likely consume other organs as well, before abandoning the rest of the carcass,” explained Higuera.
The injuries observed suggest that orcas may have developed a refined technique to trigger this immobilized state while reducing the risk of being bitten. This approach appears most effective on smaller or younger sharks that have less strength or experience escaping predators.
“This is the first time we are seeing orcas repeatedly target juvenile white sharks,” said Dr. Salvador Jorgensen of California State University, an author of the article. “Adult white sharks react quickly to hunting orcas, completely evacuating their seasonal gathering areas and not returning for months. But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas. We just don’t know yet whether white shark anti-predator flight responses are instinctual or need to be learned.”
After analyzing footage, the researchers confirmed the attackers were Moctezuma’s pod, a group already known for hunting rays as well as whale and bull sharks. Their previous experience may have helped them refine strategies to take on great white sharks.
Changing ranges, changing diets?
Alterations in the Pacific’s white shark population patterns could be giving Moctezuma’s pod new hunting opportunities. Climate cycles such as El Niño appear to have shifted white shark nursery zones, bringing more juveniles into the Gulf of California where they cross paths with these orcas. If that trend continues, young sharks could become a seasonal food source for the pod.
For now, these are limited observations. The researchers plan to conduct a more comprehensive study of this orca group’s diet to learn whether white sharks are a regular part of their menu or if the orcas simply take advantage of juveniles when they appear. Such fieldwork will be difficult to carry out, since orca hunts are rare and expensive to monitor.
“So far we have only observed this pod feeding on elasmobranchs,” said Dr. Francesca Pancaldi of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, co-author. “There could be more. Generating information about the extraordinary feeding behavior of killer whales in this region will lead us to understand where their main critical habitats are, so we can create protected areas and apply management plans to mitigate human impact.”
