Ocean Gangs

Whale sharks are gentle giants, curious, friendly, and vegetarians, eating only tiny plankton with their three-foot-wide mouths. They are also hard to kill: Adults can grow up to 60 feet, with some of the thickest skin of any creature, making it difficult for predators to puncture.

However, it seems that one whale shark is no match for a pod of killer orcas. For the first time, researchers have captured video evidence of orcas hunting whale sharks, the world’s largest fish.

The groundbreaking discovery, documented in Frontiers in Marine Science, provided unprecedented insight into the predatory behavior of these marine mammals and suggested the existence of a specialized hunting pod in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

Marine biologist Erick Higuera Rivas and his team observed four separate attacks between 2018 and 2024. The footage shows a pod of orcas – dubbed the “Moctezuma pod” – working together to stun the massive fish before flipping it upside down to induce tonic immobility, rendering the shark defenseless.

“It is very impressive how orcas work together strategically and intelligently,” Higuera said in a statement, noting their efficiency in targeting the shark’s vulnerable pelvic areas.

Orcas appear to focus on the shark’s ventral side, which has less muscle and cartilage, allowing easier access to vital organs, such as the liver.

“By keeping it under control, the orcas then have greater ease and speed in approaching the pelvic area of the shark and are able to extract organs of nutritional importance for them,” Higuera explained.

A whale shark can also “crash dive” to avoid threats, sinking quickly to depths greater than 6,000 feet. But orcas seemingly know this evasive tactic and bump and hit a whale shark to bring it back to the surface during their attack.

The Moctezuma pod – named after its prominent male orca, Moctezuma – seems to have developed a specialized skill for hunting cartilaginous fish, including stingrays, devil rays, and now whale sharks.

Moctezuma has participated in three of the four recorded hunts, and the team speculates that he may have learned these techniques from a matriarch in the pod. Orca hunting behaviors are often passed down through generations, and the cooperative tactics displayed suggest a high level of social learning.

Most of the targeted whale sharks were juveniles, measuring up to 16 feet. Juveniles are common in La Paz Bay, where they feed before migrating south in spring.

Orcas likely exploit their inexperience with predators.

No one has yet seen an orca take down an adult whale shark, and such an attempt would be “an epic battle,” according to National Geographic, adding that since orcas can take down a big blue whale, it is likely they can kill the world’s largest fish, too.