For the first time, based on new research, killer whales have been detected hunting, killing and eating two different species that they have never previously been associated with killing: a sevengill shark and a rare beaked whale. The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. Typically orca eat fish or they hunt marine mammals such as seals and dolphins. Marine biologists had thought the types of sea creatures tracked down by orca were well-established; the new finding, Laboratory Roots reports, offers a different perspective.
The two documented attacks occurred at different time-points. The shark attack, Phys.org reports, was captured by a camera aboard a drone piloted by Slater Moore. The attack involved two adult females and two calves. The broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) grows to about 1.5 meters in length. It is a frequent top predator, especially of other sharks, in shallow waters and has comb-like teeth.
The beaked whale attack was observed being hunted by researchers who were studying killer whales in the region. Beaked whales are toothed whales are notable for their elongated beaks. The whales regularly dive for an hour at a depth over 1,000 meters.
The new research is published in the journal PLOS One, with the paper called “Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Predation on Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon spp.) in the Bremer Sub-Basin, Western Australia.”
