A team of marine biologists used a helicopter and a drone to capture the first-ever aerial footage of orcas hunting and killing great white sharks during an hour-long killing spree in Mossel Bay, South Africa.
While scientists have long known that killer whales can attack great whites, it had never been caught on camera like this before.
The footage was submitted as part of a paper published in The Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecology in October, offering new insight into the clashes between the two major marine predators.
“This behavior has never been witnessed in detail before, and certainly never from the air,” said lead author Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in Gansbaai, South Africa.
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On two occasions, orcas approached sharks closely and slowly, and rather than fleeing, the shark stayed close to the orca, keeping it in view – a common strategy that seals and turtles use to evade sharks.
Scientists believe that having been put in the unusual position of being hunted, sharks copy the behavior of those they hunt.
However, orcas are social and hunt in groups, and so researchers believe it might not be as effective for sharks to use in this situation.
Watch the predator become the prey below:
