Orcas have become pretty much the poster child for ocean trickery in the last few years with their anticssinking yachtsin the Mediterranean . While research suggests they are doing this mostly for fun , and not formalicious reason , new research has been unloosen that sees them gobble up shark in the Gulf of California , pose them back on the top spot as the most sinister animals in the ocean .
Typically , orcas ( Orcinus orca ) have a broad dietetic range that includes marine mammals like seal of approval , seabirds , squid , and octopus , as well as a large variety of fish species . gristly fish , including someshark species , were have it away to be consumed occasionally but were not thought to make up a expectant part of the sea wolf diet .
However , observance in recent years have revealedorcas chowing downon great white sharks ( Carcharodon carcharias ) in South Africa . These cases are often reveal to investigator through the public catching these natural event on cameras or personal drones .
The bull shark sought to hide from the attacking orcas by swimming near a dive boat.Image credit: Carlos Lozano Hernandez,Ayres et al., Frontiers In Marine Science 2024 (CC BY 4.0)
The team involved in this inquiry studied killer cod in the Cabo Pulmo National Park , in the Gulf of California , and found the same individuals hunting sharks over a period of almost two years . This marine protected area played legion to three unlike killer whale - shark , predator - quarry interaction event during this clip .
The first was an killer whale pod patrolling an field where blacktip sharks ( Carcharhinus limbatus ) are known to amass in big numbers , the second was an orca pod attempting to kill a bull shark ( Carcharhinus leucas ) , and the third was orcas successfully consuming a bull shark in the Dixieland of the area .
In the essay case of the Taurus shark depredation , the shark bunk the attack from two orcas by swimming underneath a local dive boat . While the orcas circled the boat for around 30 seconds , they then pull up stakes , and neither they nor the shark were see again on the trailer footage .
Examining the drone footage of the three events has allowed the team to identify the private orcas that were present in at least one of each of the events , bring up “ Quetzalli " , " Niich " and " Waay " .
The squad guess that since the park was produce in 1995 , the number of sharks within the area has increased far more than was previously expected . Given this increase , it is thought this may have contributed to the amount of shark - orca interactions .
In other country , the front and depredation of orcas on different shark species has caused the sharks to go away the area . The team plans to keep up the long - terminal figure monitoring of orca and shark fundamental interaction to determine the potential long - term outcome of these predation events and how they will shape this shipboard soldier protected area .
The study is published inFrontiers in Marine Science .
