HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

HORRIFYING drone footage shows 3 orca whales hunting great white shark and FEASTING on its liver

The rare footage showed 3 orca whales killing a 9-feet-long great white shark leaving behind a pool of blood

A drone camera has captured rare footage of three orca whales (killer whales) killing a great white shark. Nothing like this has been shot before, and this might be crucial evidence for scientists who are propagating theories that great white sharks are moving away from their usual habitat because they are being hunted by orca whales.

The stunning footage was aired on Discovery’s 'Shark House' on July 28. It is indeed remarkable for cameras to be able to capture something new after 30 years and thousands of hours of post-production. This time the footage has not only taken shark enthusiasts but others on social media as well by surprise.

RELATED ARTICLES 

Sharm el-Sheikh shark attack: Two women were killed by a 'SEX-CRAZED' shark!

Florida teen hospitalized after possible shark attack just 60 miles from world's 'SHARK CAPITAL'

“It's probably one of the most beautiful pieces of natural history ever filmed. I really do think once that footage airs, it's going to go viral. The whole world is going to go into a frenzy about it because it's just so unique,” said Alison Towner, a  scientist based in South Africa who has been studying the migration of great white sharks for 15 years.

The footage depicts three killer whales in South Africa’s Mossel Bay, an area that was once an aggregation site for great white sharks but has since seen them vanishing. The whale in the middle returns to the surface while holding a dead shark in its jaws. The white shark is nearly nine-feet-long—“so not a tiny animal,” says Towner. The orca is biting the great white near its liver area. Soon, a pool of blood can be seen around the other two whales circling the waters.

“We’ve had all the evidence for killer whales being responsible for killing white sharks,” Towner added. Previously, carcasses of great white sharks with missing livers have washed up on beaches. Counting data also shows that whales have fled the coasts where they used to habituate, therefore suggesting a correlation. “But this is the world's first drone footage of killer whales predating on a white shark. It's the first time in South Africa it's ever been documented as direct evidence,” said the research scientist.

While most users on social media expressed awe at the footage, some also expressed sadness over great white sharks depleting and having to run away from their natural habitat. One Twitter user wrote, "Really sad. Been evidence all over suspecting this as their numbers decrease rapidly. Killer whales are not the Free Willy we all grew accustomed to as kids."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.