Shocking footage captures the moment a 60-year-old grandmother orca attacks and kills a great white shark.
The incredibly rare and deadly encounter, filmed as part of National Geographic’s limited series Queens, showed an orca named Sophia charging and devouring a shark.
“Orcas are very intelligent animals” Dr. Chris Lowe told ABC News. “They’re very powerful, in some cases probably even more powerful than great white sharks.”
Scientists believe this is the first time an orca has been filmed killing a great white shark.
“I think what we’re seeing is probably an anomaly. I don’t think it happens that often,” Lowe said. “We often think of great white sharks as the ocean’s top predators, but that’s actually what killer whales are.”
Killer whales, also known as killer whales, can grow to about 30 feet long and weigh up to 6 tons. They are social animals that usually live in groups known as pods and work together to hunt for food.
The lone wolf attack style against sharks may be an adaptation caused by climate change.
Killer whales appear to be becoming increasingly aggressive, with numerous reports of whales attacking ships in recent years. Some attacks appear to have been out of revenge.
In one incident off the coast of Gibraltar, an orca ripped off the rudder of a catamaran with its teeth.
“It probably has something to do with behavior and interaction with those objects,” Lowe said. “I don’t know if they’re just a nuisance, but that’s very different from attacking and killing something to get food.”
