Pod Of Orca Whales Seen Attacking And Killing Great White Shark
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Discovery Channel
It's officially Shark Week 2022 and incredible footage has shown a mighty great white shark set upon and killed by a pod of orcas.
Stunning footage from a drone camera spotted the moment a group of killer whales set upon the shark and kill it, biting out the creature's liver.
Shot in South Africa's Mossel Bay, the drone captured what initially looks like two orcas swimming around before a third is seen swimming up to the surface with the dead shark in its mouth.
Take a look below:
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While the great white shark is often thought of as the killer king of the sea, this one ended up clutched between the jaws of the mighty killer whale.
The nine foot long terror of the seas would normally be more than a match for most denizens of the deep but as the footage shows it didn't stand a chance against the trio of whales.
South African scientist Alison Towner, who has been studying great white sharks for 15 years, told the Daily Beast the footage was a historic moment in understanding the mighty creatures of the sea.
She said: "It's probably one of the most beautiful pieces of natural history ever filmed.
"I really do think once that footage airs, it's going to go viral, the whole world is going to go into a frenzy about it because it's just so unique."
Towner explained that the footage appeared to confirm suspicions about whale behaviour and their preying on sharks.
Bodies of great white sharks have been washing up on beaches with their livers missing while data suggests sharks have vacated areas which used to be their habitats.
This video showing killer whales attacking and killing a great white shark could help explain some of the reasons why they appear to be moving on.
She said: "We’ve had all the evidence for killer whales being responsible for killing white sharks
"But this is the world's first drone footage of killer whales predating on a white shark. It's the first time in South Africa it's ever been documented as direct evidence."
Maybe next time someone thinks about doing a Jaws reboot they should change it to make an orca the main villain.
Then again, people seem to like orcas after they got all that good publicity in Free Willy so even if they like to kill and eat great while sharks, they're probably not going to wind up as the bad guys any time soon.
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