It can be easy to forget that orca are some of the most dangerous creatures in the sea, especially if you’ve ever been to SeaWorld. The apex predator will feast on just about anything – even sharks.
Dr. Visser, an orca researcher, had a first-hand account of an orca pod feeding on sevengill sharks near Jack’s Bay in New Zealand, even noticing some sharks attempting to escape by evacuating the ocean altogether.
Image: Research Orca Trust
“One shark managed to get away by scrambling up onto some rocks, but managed to free itself,” recalls the Orca Research Trust team. “Then another got stranded.”
Visser didn’t hesitate to help the stranded shark into the water. It wasn’t easy – they can weight over 230 lbs and have flexible bodies – but he managed to save it.
Image: Research Orca Trust
Orca don’t only stick to smaller sharks like the sevengill. Here’s a video in Costa Rica of an orca eating a tiger shark:
