Orcas can kill whale sharks, but not easily.
The whale shark is the largest existing shark and the largest fish. Whale sharks measure over 8 meters in length, and some large whale sharks can even reach 20 meters, and their weight reaches an astonishing 10 to 20 tonnes.
Strictly speaking, there are no natural enemies of whale sharks. Its enormous size deters many predators, but some ocean species can also prey on whale sharks, such as the famous great white sharks and killer whales.
Great white sharks are the largest predatory sharks. Although not as large as whale sharks, great white sharks are extremely ferocious and bloodthirsty. Whale sharks are often attacked by great white sharks, but due to the size limit of great white sharks, they cannot successfully kill anyhealthy adult whale sharks (so far there are no records of great white sharks successfully killing healthy adult whale sharks) According to some sighting records, great white sharks prefer to attack sharks pregnant female whales or some young whale sharks.
Another large ocean predator can kill healthy adult whale sharks. This animal is the killer whale, which is more powerful than the great white shark. Killer whales are about twice the size of great white sharks. They can measure up to 9 meters long and weigh 9 tonnes. This size is already comparable to that of most whale sharks. Additionally, killer whales are group animals, so they can be successful. hunt whale shark, even if that whale shark is a healthy adult. This situation has been observed.
Orcas eat sharks.
The food of killer whalesincludes fish, other whales, pinnipeds, sea otters, birds, reptiles and cephalopods. Of the 362 killer whale stomachs collected in Antarctica, 217 contained fish, 75 the remains of minke whales, 35 pinnipeds and 35 cephalopods.
Orcas have highly developed brains and powerful bodies. With these advantages, these highly intelligent animals can hunt and kill many large predators in the ocean. Some members of the killer whale family have at least nine shark specialties on their menu, including great whites and makos which are feared by many animals.
Orca expert Dr Ingrid Wiesal, who has been studying orca behavior for 17 years, said: The most impressive strategy is doing karate palm splits. “Orcas use their tails to push sharks out of the water without even making physical contact with the sharks.
Thanks to the lift generated by their tail, they are able to create a vortex that traps sharks. in their movement Once the prey comes out of the water, the killer whale turns its body and sticks its tail out of the water, then attacks the shark like a karate move
After knocking out the shark shark, the shark. The tiger kills the shark. The whale grabs the shark and flips it over in a seemingly incredible tactic, showing how well the killer whale knows its opponent. Muscle tension stagnates" and was massacred by killer whales.
< stereong>Detailed information
Sometimes, killer whales hunt in groups. They use the sounds emitted by their foreheads (the part of the dolphin family used to create echolocation, which focuses sounds into a group) communicate and connect with each other and plan tactics. a big ball, thenwill take turns drilling for food.
The habitats of killer whales are mainly polar and temperate waters. It is widely distributed in the North Sea of Japan and Iceland in maritime areas around the world. There appear to be no obvious restrictions on water temperature, depth and other factors. They inhabit relatively high densities at high latitudes, particularly in areas where prey is abundant. Their movements are generally linked to tracking prey or increasing predation rates, usually during the fish spawning season and the seal production period.
In summer, most killer whales in the Atlantic Ocean inhabit the edges of ice floes or ice-covered waterways, feeding on baleen whales, penguins, seals, etc. It is still unclear where they will migrate and how far they will travel. Some killer whales remain in the waters of theAntarctica all year round, while those in the Arctic rarely approach the ice floes.
According to killer whale researchers in Washington State and British Columbia, there are two types of killer whale groups: resident types and transiting types, and these two groups can be found there all year round. Some individuals have a very wide activity range. Photo identification results from various locations have shown that some killer whales have an activity range from Alaska to California in the southern United States.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Killer Whale