Overview
- A study published November 3 in Frontiers in Marine Science reports video-documented, repeated predation by Moctezuma’s pod on juvenile great white sharks in the Gulf of California.
- The orcas flipped sharks onto their backs to induce tonic immobility, then selectively removed and ate the sharks’ energy-rich livers.
- Researchers recorded two events, in August 2020 and August 2022, involving groups of about five orcas and resulting in three juvenile shark deaths.
- Identified by dorsal-fin markings, the pod is already known to hunt rays, whale sharks, and bull sharks, consistent with social learning and prey specialization.
- The authors hypothesize that warming waters and events like El Niño have shifted white shark nurseries into the region, while emphasizing the small sample size and planning detailed dietary surveys to assess prevalence and management implications.