{"id":169797,"date":"2025-11-08T13:21:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T13:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/169797\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T13:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T13:21:09","slug":"killer-whales-in-the-gulf-of-california-are-eating-great-white-sharks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/169797\/","title":{"rendered":"Killer whales in the Gulf of California are eating great white sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Killer whales in northern Mexico waters<\/a> have been in the spotlight this week after scientists documented them attacking young great white sharks and devouring their energy-rich livers \u2014 a phenomenon previously thought to be limited to South Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Mexico, Killer Whales Take Down Great White Sharks,\u201d beamed a headline in the New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n @cbsnews<\/a> <\/p>\n

Orcas have been seen off the coast of Mexico hunting young great white sharks by flipping them over to incapacitate them before eating their liver. Researchers studying the orca pod say this group specializes in hunting sharks. The orcas are seen on newly-released video turning a shark upside down, which paralyzes the shark after altering its awareness of its surroundings. Then, with the shark in a vulnerable position, they eat its energy-filled liver. #orcas<\/a> #sharks<\/a> #mexico<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c original sound \u2013 cbsnews<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cOrcas in Mexico Have Learned to Attack Young Great White Sharks \u2014 by Flipping Them Upside Down and Eating Their Livers,\u201d heralded Smithsonian magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n

Video evidence captured by marine biologist Erick Higuera has revealed how the killer whales, aka orcas, in the so-called Moctezuma pod coordinate their attacks against juvenile great whites, turning them upside down to induce tonic immobility (a natural state of paralysis), then slicing them open to extract their livers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI saw [on the video] that the shark had the liver hanging out on the side, already popped off. And a few minutes later, they came up with the liver in their mouth,\u201d Higuera recalled.<\/p>\n

The documented hunts, published Sunday, Nov. 2 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science,<\/a> occurred in 2020 and 2022 near La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur.<\/p>\n

\u201cImpossible! It\u2019s a great white shark. Where is it from? South Africa? No, my friend, it\u2019s here in La Paz,\u201d Higuera recounted, describing the moment he confirmed the species on video.<\/p>\n

Orcas have specialized hunting techniques that vary by region and prey \u2014 such as leaping five meters into the air to attack bottlenose dolphins, as documented by Mexico News Daily in 2021.<\/a><\/p>\n

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But hunting young great white sharks showcases an adaptation new to science.<\/p>\n

In the waters off South Africa, the orcas hunt mainly adults, both for a greater quantity of food and to eliminate competition for the same prey, according to Scientific American.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe suggest that juvenile great white sharks may be, if they aren\u2019t already, a seasonal targeted prey for these orcas,\u201d Higuera explained.<\/p>\n

Researchers said they suspect climate change and warming waters \u2014 potentially linked to El Ni\u00f1o \u2014 may be bringing more great white juveniles into the Gulf of California,<\/a> also known as the Sea of Cortez,<\/a> giving the Moctezuma pod more opportunity to hunt them.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe actually are seeing more presence of great white sharks<\/a> in the Gulf of California in the last 10 years,\u201d said study coauthor Francesca Pancaldi.<\/p>\n

The orcas\u2019 focus on the sharks\u2019 livers \u2014 which constitute a quarter of a shark\u2019s body and provide high concentrations of vitamins A and D as well as toxic substances (which is why humans don\u2019t eat them) \u2014 demonstrates the animals\u2019 intelligence and dietary efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s really worth it for their time,\u201d Taylor Chapple, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University who was not involved with the research told the New York Times. \u201cIt\u2019s sort of like they\u2019re going for the cheeseburger surrounded by a bunch of celery.\u201d<\/p>\n

While orcas\u2019 predation on white sharks has disrupted ecosystems in the waters off South Africa \u2014 leading sharks to abandon traditional aggregation sites \u2014 Mexican scientists say continued monitoring is essential as the Gulf\u2019s marine dynamics shift.<\/a><\/p>\n

With reports from El Pa\u00eds<\/a>, La Tercera<\/a> and NBC News<\/a><\/p>\n