Mexican Research Team Films Orcas Expertly Killing Great White Sharks in Gulf of California

Credit: Marco Villegas

A specialized pod of orcas in the Gulf of California has been documented on film using a sophisticated hunting technique to kill juvenile great white sharks, flipping them upside-down to induce a paralytic state before extracting their nutrient-rich livers. The research, led by Mexican marine biologist Erick Higuera Rivas, provides stunning visual evidence of a predator becoming prey and reveals how orca intelligence is being deployed in a changing marine environment.

For the first time, scientists have recorded detailed footage of orcas repeatedly and successfully hunting great white sharks, challenging our understanding of the ocean's top predators. The observations, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, show Moctezuma's pod—a group of five killer whales—employing a precise method to neutralize the sharks' defenses. By working together to flip the sharks upside-down, the orcas induce tonic immobility, a natural state of paralysis that leaves the sharks completely helpless.

Erick Higuera Rivas, project director at Conexiones Terramar and Pelagic Life and lead author of the study, explained the significance of these hunting techniques. "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," he stated. "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."

The research team witnessed two separate hunting events that resulted in three shark fatalities, according to Frontiers in Marine Science. During the first encounter in August 2020, the five orcas were seen pursuing a juvenile white shark, pushing it to the surface and collaboratively turning it upside-down. After taking the paralyzed shark underwater, they reappeared with its liver in their mouths—then repeated the exact same technique on a second juvenile shark shortly afterward.

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A second hunt in August 2022 followed an identical pattern, with the orcas pushing another juvenile white shark onto its back at the surface. Researchers observed blood coming from the shark's gills and could see the liver as the orcas consumed it. The method appears specifically designed to minimize risk to the hunters, as Higuera explained: "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."

Why are these sophisticated hunters suddenly targeting great whites? The answer may lie in changing ocean conditions and the relative inexperience of younger sharks. Dr Salvador Jorgensen of California State University, another author on the paper, noted the different behavior between adult and juvenile sharks. "Adult white sharks react quickly to hunting orcas, completely evacuating their seasonal gathering areas and not returning for months," he said. "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."

The identification of the hunting group as Moctezuma's pod provides important context—this same pod has previously been observed hunting rays, whale sharks, and bull sharks. Their accumulated experience with various elasmobranchs may have provided the foundational knowledge needed to tackle the more formidable great white shark. The pod's name comes from a prominent member with distinctive dorsal fin markings that allowed researchers to confirm their identity.

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Climate patterns may be creating new hunting opportunities for these intelligent predators. Events like El Niño appear to be altering white shark nursery areas and increasing their presence in the Gulf of California, potentially exposing each new generation of juveniles to the specialized hunting pod. This could mean that young white sharks are becoming a seasonal target for orcas taking advantage of changing fish distributions.

The research team acknowledges that these observations, while dramatic, represent only a beginning. Dr Francesca Pancaldi of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, co-author of the study, emphasized the need for further investigation. "So far we have only observed this pod feeding on elasmobranchs," she said. "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."

The challenge ahead lies in the unpredictable nature of orca hunting behavior and the expense of continuous marine fieldwork. However, these initial observations have opened a new window into understanding how marine predator dynamics are shifting in response to environmental changes—and revealed just how sophisticated orca hunting strategies can become when passed through generations of pod members learning from one another.

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