A male orca named Moctezuma participated in three out of the four documented attacks between 2018 and 2024 in the Gulf of Mexico: "It's impressive how they work in a strategic and intelligent way to access only a very specific area of the prey."
The waters of the Gulf of Mexico have been the scene of a series of surprising attacks carried out by two of the most impressive species in the ocean. A pod of orcas dared to hunt the world's largest fish, the whale shark, which can reach up to 18 meters in length. And it has not been a unique event. A team of researchers has documented four attacks between the years 2018 and 2024, as detailed in a research published on Friday in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
In three of these attacks, a male orca named Moctezuma played a prominent role. "This individual, along with other members of the pod, could belong to a group specialized in hunting sharks," explained marine biologist Erick Higuera Rivas, the lead author of the article.
A female orca previously observed in the presence of Moctezuma also participated in an event, suggesting that they could be related or members of the same pod. To identify the orcas involved in the attacks, photographs of dorsal fins and distinctive features such as scars were analyzed.
Orcas (Orcinus orca) usually feed on marine mammals, turtles, and fish. But in the Gulf of California, this pod may have acquired new skills that help them hunt whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). These sharks often search for food in areas of the Gulf of California, sometimes when they are still young and smaller. During this stage of life, they are more vulnerable to predation, something that seems to be exploited by orcas to hunt them, as shown in these four separate recorded hunting episodes.
The photos and videos taken by the researchers have allowed them to reconstruct their attack strategy. As Erick Higuera Rivas details, the orcas showed a collaborative hunting technique on whale sharks focusing on attacking the pelvic area. By biting in that area, the whale shark bleeds and they can access its liver, rich in lipids.
"When they hunt, all members of the pod work together, hitting the whale shark to put it in a position where it enters a state of immobility and can no longer move voluntarily or escape," describes Higuera Rivas. "By keeping it under control, the orcas then have greater ease and speed to approach the pelvic area of the shark and are able to extract organs of nutritional importance to them."
"It's very impressive how the orcas work together in a strategic and intelligent way to access only a very specific area of the prey. It highlights how great predators they are," says the researcher.
Scientists believe that orcas attack these sharks in that area because there is less muscle and cartilage, allowing easier access to the aorta. In the documented attack on May 26, 2024, several orcas were observed with whale shark carrion in their mouths.
Hunting in this way could imply that some orcas in this region have acquired special skills that help them hunt this shark species characterized by having a wide, flat head and a completely white belly, and which is threatened in Mexico.
Higuera Rivas does not rule out that orcas may have learned to do the same in other areas, although he admits that, for now, evidence of this is limited.