14 DAY TRIAL // Sharks are top predators, but then again, so are killer whales. Except they're bigger and, as it turns out, more vicious, especially when particularly hungry.
Usually, orcas stick to eating fish, maybe calves belonging to other whale species or full-grown marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. They're even known to hunt mature minke, gray, sperm or blue whales every now and again.
The killer whales that populate the waters off the coast of New Zealand, however, have a soft spot for a whole other meaty snack: poor, unfortunate sharks.
This past Monday, whale experts with the Orca Research Trust witnessed a pod of orcas hunting sharks in New Zealand's Bay of Islands. The researchers documented a total of five hunts of sevengill sharks and also snapped some photos.
Adult sevengill sharks measure an average 1.5 to 2.2 meters (5 to 7 feet) in length, with males smaller than females. By comparison, mature orcas can grow up to be 7 to 10 meters (23 to 32 feet) long, giving them a clear advantage.
The sharks were rather frightened
The sevengill sharks wildlife experts with the Orca Research Trust witnessed being hunted by the pod of killer whales were all quite frightened to have the marine mammals tailing them.
At one point, one of them jumped out of the water and onto some rocks, desperate to escape with its life. Then, another became stranded while trying to evade its pursuers.
“One shark managed to get away by scrambling up onto some rocks, another got stranded and we were there to help it return to the water, where it promptly swam off in the opposite direction from the orca,” the researchers describe the hunts.
One shark only escaped because, when cornered by an orca, it turned around to face the predator and snarled at it. The killer whale didn't like the attitude, but backed away.
“The shark was having none of that and promptly opened its mouth wide at the orca, who snapped back at it and then sank deeper and swam off,” the whale experts detail.
Apparently, orcas in New Zealand are extraordinarily gifted when it comes to hunting sharks. They track their prey together, as a group, and then share the spoils.
