From predator to prey: killer whales versus great white sharks. In another case, the attack was carried out by a married couple of killer whales, who clearly coordinated all actions with each other

Killer whales are large mammals belonging to the dolphin family. Unlike the dolphins themselves, which feed exclusively on fish, killer whales do not disdain their warm-blooded relatives: seals, fur seals, and what’s more, even a blue whale, which they can attack in a flock.

To be fair, it is worth noting that killer whales begin hunting for mammals only if they are very hungry. The basis of their diet is fish, and in this they are no different from dolphins, whales, or sharks.

So, we found out that killer whales and sharks feed mainly on fish, which means that a conflict between them may arise due to competition for prey.

When measuring the strength of your opponents, you need to find out who is bigger - the shark or the killer whale. The black and white killer whale, growing, reaches a length of 5-6 meters, while sharks come in several types, and their sizes differ.

Only three can compare with the killer whale: the tiger shark, the white shark and the mako shark. But there have also been cases when smaller sharks, uniting in a school, attacked a lone killer whale.

And yet, who is stronger - a shark or a killer whale? Their bodies have a perfectly streamlined shape, allowing them to develop high and, most importantly, approximately the same speed. But here it is worth making one important amendment. Sharks belong to the class of cartilaginous fish, and killer whales are mammals.

This difference leaves a big imprint on the differences in the morphological structure of killer whales and sharks. So, in sharks, the muscles are saturated with oxygen more and faster, the faster they move.

In terms of their level of development, killer whales are one step higher than sharks. Mammals are capable of accumulating experience, passing it on from generation to generation, including experience in hunting and behavior in combat.

Killer whales are much better than sharks at communicating with their own kind, and thanks to their developed echolocation apparatus, they are better able to navigate the vast expanses of water.

Killer whales, in order to swim faster, need to breathe more often and, accordingly, rise to the surface of the water for a breath of air. And this, in comparison with sharks, slows them down.

The fact that the killer whale and the white shark belong to different classes determines differences in the nature of their movement. A shark, although large, is still a fish, which means it swims using fins, lateral curves of the body and a tail located vertically.

With killer whales, everything is completely different: vertical bends of the body and a caudal fin, which is flattened in the horizontal plane, help them move.

But in practice, it turns out that these differences allow sharks to instantly turn around, change the direction of movement, and stop.

But killer whales can also do something that sharks cannot: they skillfully jump out of the water, while being in a vertical plane, and when entering back into the water, they can control the trajectory of movement, change the angle of inclination, etc.

Shark hunting behavior

Conventionally, the behavior of sharks can be divided into 2 types:

- "Shark Frenzy"

Note

Sharks react to the smell of blood, sense it acutely, lose control of themselves and attack all moving objects. Therefore, if a killer whale is injured, then an attack by a shark that happens to be nearby is inevitable.

- Hunting for profit

A hungry shark, seeing a killer whale, attacks it. The technique can be different and unpredictable: the shark strikes with its tail, head, and bites until it brings the victim to exhaustion.

Killer whales are known to have strong family ties. The mother tries in every possible way to protect her cubs not only during the feeding period, but also longer. Therefore, when it sees a shark, it may attack first in order to protect its offspring from a potential threat.

Causes of killer whale-shark collisions

As a rule, predators try to avoid meeting each other, and if they swim past each other, they disperse peacefully. But this lasts only until hunger arises and the need to compete for food arises.

It is extremely rare, but still causeless attacks by killer whales on sharks do occur, but the opposite situation is even less likely.

No matter how much fame there is about the invincibility of shark predators, in a fight with killer whales they turn out to be weaker and, as a rule, lose. Killer whales attack first and always win.

Here are some of the famous and filmed fights between killer whales and sharks:

Killer whale and mako shark off the coast of New Zealand

This battle was captured by ichthyologist Ingrid Visser. The killer whale was the first to attack the shark and stunned it with a powerful blow from its tail.

Killer whale and white shark off the coast of Southern California

The team of the famous deep sea explorer Jacques Cousteau has repeatedly recorded cases of killer whales attacking sharks. In one of them, a killer whale suddenly separated from its pod and quickly attacked a shark swimming past, which no longer had any chance of survival.

In another case, the attack was carried out by a married couple of killer whales, who clearly coordinated all actions with each other. They expertly stunned the shark and tore it in two in a matter of seconds.

In the third case, the killer whale clearly taught her calf how to hunt, since before his eyes she attacked a shark, tore it into pieces, and then shared the meat with the child.

So, as we have seen, the battle between killer whale and shark is not unpredictable. Although for many, defeating a shark seems at least unexpected, and at most impossible.

With approximately equal size and strength, killer whales have the upper hand in intelligence and the ability to think through attack tactics.

Sharks are considered to be one of the most dangerous, evil and invincible predators. It is difficult to believe that they may have enemies, but the harsh laws of the World Ocean firmly assert that they do. And these are their relatives – killer whales. The outcome of the battle - killer whale versus white shark - can be different. Killer whales are large mammals belonging to the dolphin family. Unlike the dolphins themselves, which feed exclusively on fish, killer whales do not disdain their warm-blooded relatives: seals, Navy SEALs, and what’s more, even a blue whale, which can be attacked by a flock. To be fair, it is worth noting that killer whales begin hunting mammals only if they are very hungry. The basis of their diet is fish, and in this they are no different from dolphins, whales, or sharks. So, we found out that killer whales and sharks feed mainly on fish, which means that a conflict between them may arise due to competition for prey. When measuring the strength of your opponents, you need to find out who is bigger - the shark or the killer whale. The black and white killer whale, growing, reaches a length of 5-6 meters, while sharks come in several types, and their sizes differ. There are only three that can compare with the killer whale: the tiger shark, the white shark and the mako shark. But there have also been cases when smaller sharks, uniting in a flock, attacked a lone killer whale. And yet, who is stronger - a shark or a killer whale? Their bodies have a perfectly streamlined shape, allowing them to develop high and, most importantly, approximately the same speed. But here it is worth making one important amendment. Sharks belong to the class cartilaginous fish, and killer whales are mammals. This difference leaves a big imprint on the differences in the morphological structure of killer whales and sharks. So, in sharks, the muscles are saturated with oxygen more and faster, the faster they move. The fact that the killer whale and white shark refer to different classes, causes differences in the nature of their movement. A shark, although large, is still a fish, which means it swims using fins, lateral curves of the body and a tail located vertically. With killer whales, everything is completely different: vertical bends of the body and a caudal fin, which is flattened in the horizontal plane, help them move. But in practice, it turns out that these differences allow sharks to instantly turn around, change the direction of movement, and stop. But killer whales can also do something that sharks cannot: they skillfully jump out of the water, while being in a vertical plane, and when entering back into the water, they can control the trajectory of movement, change the angle of inclination, etc.

The recent white shark attack, recently reported online, was the fourth attack to occur off the coast South Africa. Just last month, three white sharks were found dead on a popular beach in four days.

The first incident was reported in early May when a 5-metre, 1-tonne great white shark was found on the shores of Gansbaai Bay. The next day, a dead white shark measuring 4 meters in length was found along the same coast. A third white shark was spotted dead three days later.

The remains of all four sharks were not eaten, except for their missing liver, which was removed with characteristic surgical precision. Experts have suggested that killer whales living in the southern part of Cape Town are most likely behind the recent attacks.

While a pod of killer whales was spotted near Gansbaai, three great white sharks were attacked and a fourth great white shark was killed in May. Last month the Department of Affairs environment South Africa examined the remains of the sharks and confirmed that killer whales actually killed these white sharks. Marine Dynamics, a conservation organization that monitors caged sharks, also confirmed that killer whales were responsible for the fourth attack.

According to experts from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), killer whales are targeting shark livers, which contain large number chemical compound, called squalene. Video footage of killer whales' hunting habits provides insight into how these predators extract shark livers. As seen on video, the killer whales acted in an organized manner and pushed the great white shark to the surface. “They work together and in a very coordinated manner. Two killer whales grab the shark's pectoral fin and drag it together to remove the liver, said marine biologist Alison Towner. The killer whales would then bite through the shark's flesh to get to the fat-rich liver.

“Obviously this is a very sad time for us. Nature can be truly cruel, but the dexterity with which these killer whales achieved their goal is simply mind-blowing, almost surgically precise. It was in this way that they removed the liver rich in squalene and abandoned the shark carcass. We've never seen anything like this before deadly attacks on great white sharks. As a result of the attack between pectoral fins There was a large gaping hole left, the opened body cavity shows that the shark was completely missing a liver. "This information, coupled with recent sightings of killer whales and the disappearance of white sharks in the region, provides strong evidence that killer whales are responsible," said Alison Towner.

Hunting habits of killer whales
Killer whales are specialist predators that will eat almost anything. Their prey can be: large animals, such as seabirds, squid and octopus, sea turtles, sharks, rays and fish. Killer whales also prey on even larger marine mammals like seals and dugongs.

Killer whales are known for their varied hunting skills. The killer whale pod can be characterized by two subgroups: the main group and the hunting group. The former are less aggressive and often prefer to hunt fish. In contrast, hunters are known for their teamwork and more aggressive hunting skills. The latter are often compared to packs of wolves in terms of their hunting habits, which is why killer whales are often called “sea wolves.”

Killer whales use different tactics when hunting. Some learned to swim close to the shore to catch a seal. On the other hand, some are known to cooperate to attack large prey or schools of fish.

The question “why are sharks afraid of dolphins” sounds incorrect. The relationship between these animals is actually much more complex than it seems at first glance.

Are sharks afraid of dolphins?

The only answer is no, they are not afraid, but rather, they show reasonable caution. Clashes between them are rare, since they roam the waters in schools, and sharks, who know how to calculate their strength and predict consequences, avoid large gatherings of dolphins. A shark can become a victim of toothed whales (which includes all dolphins) only by making a mistake and approaching a school where there are many adults.

Do sharks attack dolphins?

Almost all sharks are individualists, occasionally keeping company (during mating seasons, on vacation, or in areas of food abundance). Half-decomposed remains of dolphins have been found more than once in shark stomachs. As a rule, the weakest members of the flock or inexperienced young animals fighting off from it fall into the teeth of predators.

This is interesting! Contrary to their innate prudence, sharks will not miss the opportunity to accompany a pod of dolphins, and not only in the hope of hunting the sickest or youngest dolphin: sharks happily eat the remains of the dolphin feast.

A shark very often initiates an attack if it sees that the object of its gastronomic interest has swum away from its comrades and is unable to resist. Thus, a mother can easily overcome a lone dolphin, especially one that has not gained impressive mass and size. Eyewitnesses told how a pack of medium-sized sharks managed to kill even an adult killer whale that had lagged behind its native pod.

Why do dolphins attack sharks?

Dolphins, as typical social animals, do not just swim together: together they support old, weakened and growing relatives, hunt in groups or repel enemy attacks.

Toothed whales are classified as food competitors of sharks, which is a good reason for the former to attack the latter. In addition, dolphins launch a preemptive strike when sharks circle suspiciously close (watching for babies or sick ones).

In a fight with a predator, dolphins are helped by such factors as:

excellent maneuverability;
good speed;
strong skull (frontal part);
collectivism.

Having united, the dolphins easily deal with a huge white shark: they deliver targeted blows with their heads to the belly ( internal organs) and gills. To reach the goal, the dolphin accelerates and hits the most vulnerable area, the gill slits. It's like being punched in the solar plexus.

This is interesting! Dolphins are not able to overwhelm sharks with their mass, but in lateral collisions they surpass them in power and agility. But the most formidable weapon dolphins are collectivism, complemented by developed intelligence.

Killer whale vs shark

The big killer whale, the most impressive representative of the dolphins, is what the toothy predators should really fear. Even the largest shark will never grow to the size of a killer whale, the males of which reach up to 10 meters and weigh 7.5 tons.

In addition, the killer whale's wide mouth is lined with huge teeth, slightly inferior to shark teeth in terms of efficiency and size. But this dolphin has a brain, which is sometimes more important than sharp teeth.

The shark is one of the natural enemies of killer whales not only because of the coincidence of food preferences, but also because it itself is a tempting commercial target. In addition to penguins, dolphins and large fish, sharks are often found in the stomachs of killer whales.

Of course, sharks swim and maneuver faster, but the slower (30 km/h) and not very agile killer whale is a living battering ram, ending in an almost impenetrable skull.

This is interesting! Killer whales, like all dolphins, attack together, using their favorite technique: hitting the sides with their snout to turn the shark belly up. In this position, she briefly falls into paralysis and becomes absolutely helpless.

Generally large group killer whales easily overcome a shark and even a multi-ton whale, subsequently tearing it apart. There is also footage of a one-on-one battle when a great white shark and a killer whale fought near the Farallon Islands. The winner was the dolphin.

Dolphins, sharks and people

Everyone knows that dolphins often save people who find themselves in the middle of the ocean, including from bloodthirsty sharks. This behavior of cetaceans was explained by a heightened sense of collectivism: supposedly, they mistake the unfortunate person for one of the members of the pack and try to help him.

In 1966, Egyptian fisherman Mahmoud Wali was caught in a raging storm in the middle of the Suez Canal (near Cairo). The fishing boat sank, and Mahmoud remained on an air mattress, surrounded on all sides by water and hungry sharks.

It is unlikely that the fisherman would have reached the shore alive if it had not been for a pod of dolphins that came to his aid. They took the poor guy in a tight ring and began to push the mattress towards the shore, preventing the sharks from approaching. The transportation was completed successfully, and Mahmoud Wali emerged from the adventure unharmed.

This is interesting! Another typical case occurred in 2004 off the northern coast of New Zealand, or more precisely, near the island of Whangarei. It was here that beach rescue worker Rob Hughes, with his colleagues and daughter Nikki, practiced methods of rescuing people on the water.

Suddenly the divers were surrounded by dolphins, leaving no way for the people to escape from the ring. The rescuers were not only perplexed, they were frightened, because they did not understand what caused the unexpected captivity.

Everything was explained when Hues was freed from captivity - she was patrolling next to them, whose sinister intentions were quite clear. Hues later said that he was almost paralyzed with fear at the sight of a toothy muzzle several meters away. The dolphins did not leave the rescuers for about an hour until they reached a safe place.

Sharks have many enemies, but worthy rivals can be counted on one hand. First of all, these include animals that are enemies by nature, hating sharks as predators. They are not interested in sharks as food.

Since the shark is a predator, many large sea animals fear for their offspring, knowing that the toothy robber is not averse to feasting on the meat of the young, which cannot resist the shark. Such animals include, first of all, cetaceans - dolphins and killer whales.

Dolphins vs shark.

These flock marine mammals are natural enemies of sharks, hating them and driving them away from their communities in every possible way, sometimes even killing them.
Sharks like to stay close to a school of dolphins - here there is an opportunity to intercept pieces of the dolphin's feast and, on occasion, feast on young or disease-weakened animals that have lagged behind the school.

Killer whale vs shark.

The next ardent enemy of the shark is the toothed whale - killer whale (or killer whale) - lat. Orcinus orca. This is a very powerful animal, armed with impressive teeth. Killer whales are also classified as dolphins, being the largest representatives of the family of these marine mammals.

If small dolphins are not interested in sharks as a source of food, then killer whales arouse not only hatred, but also gastronomic interest in predators. In the stomachs of killer whales often along with dolphins, penguins and big fish shark remains are present.
The teeth of these animals are not much inferior in efficiency to sharks, and the size of killer whales exceeds the size of all known aggressive species sharks
The largest representative of the killer whale family is the great killer whale. (Orcinus orca). Lesser or black killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) and the pygmy killer whale, or pheresa (Feresa attenuata) much smaller.

Let's put it up against the shark big killer whale. This is a very aggressive predator, for which the shark is not only a natural enemy capable of killing juveniles or a weakened relative, but also a food competitor, since their diet largely overlaps. In addition to the above reasons why a killer whale can kill a shark, there is also a gastronomic one - killer whales eat sharks with pleasure.
A large killer whale reaches impressive sizes - males can grow up to 9-10 meters in length and weigh up to 7.5 tons. Females are somewhat smaller - their maximum dimensions- 7 m with a weight of up to 4 tons. As you can see, the weight categories of the great white shark and the killer whale differ significantly - the killer whale is larger.

If you carry out theoretical analysis chances of winning a battle between an adult killer whale and a great white shark, then the odds will undoubtedly be in favor of the toothy dolphin. The shark has some advantages in speed and agility due to its body structure. In addition, unlike the killer whale, she is a fish. She does not need to rise to the surface for a sip of oxygen; the whirlwind of speeds only allows her gills to more effectively oxidize the blood and warm up the muscles. The teeth of a great white shark are also superior in size and efficiency to those of a killer whale.

However, the killer whale has an undeniable advantage - a developed brain, which is often worth more than its teeth. About the benefits mental abilities Killer whales are at least told by the fact that often in a fight with sharks they manage to turn their opponent belly up. As you know, in this position any shark falls into a state of trance and is unable to resist. Even a large carcharodon lying on its back is as helpless as a child, and a killer whale can easily kill it.
The killer whale is less agile than the shark, but can reach speeds of about 30 km/h and has a massive body ending in a strong bony skull. This is a real natural battering ram! The width of the killer whale's mouth and teeth are also impressive.

If you have a rich imagination, you will understand that the killer whale has a better chance of winning.

In addition, the above model is not entirely objective. Killer whales very rarely swim outside the school community. Scientists believe that these animals have the strongest family ties of all living organisms. These mammals even choose a mate only from their “family” clan. As a rule, several generations of these animals are present in a pod of killer whales.
However, it is better to see once than to read several times. The video about killer whales, presented at the bottom of the page, will reveal some little known facts about the life and character of these cute cetaceans.

As you understand, no shark can resist such a strong community. A friendly pod of killer whales can easily deal with a multi-ton whale, tearing it into pieces, and for them a shark is an easy prey.

There are stories of witnesses of “fights” between killer whales and a great white shark, the result of which always turned out to be disastrous for the white predator.
However, there is also evidence that a pack of not very large sharks dealt with an adult killer whale that had strayed from the pack.
The sea is a wild element, and there is no place for the weak in it. Even a seemingly very strong animal can be killed by weaker enemies if they have advantages in size, collectivism and, of course, health. An animal weakened by disease has little chance of survival.

Film about killer whales

Formidable marine reptile - saltwater crocodile- fight a shark