We all know orcas to be those friendly and intelligent marine mammals that entertain and enthrall millions of people each year, whether it be in a marine park, on whale watching excursions, or on television. But these majestic creatures also go by another name, which they live up to in every way. Killer whales, as they are often called, are deadly ocean predators, and this video shows exactly how they live up to that namesake.
In the clip, a pod of orcas is shown hunting down a large tiger shark, trapping it against the surface and even flipped the shark over onto its back, inducing tonic immobility. After immobilizing the shark, the orcas bit off all to its fins, then finished off the rest. It’s obviously a gruesome fate for the shark, and a prime example of how the orca is an apex predator.
The footage was captured off the coast of Costa Rica by underwater photographer Caroline Power and British marine biologist Nicholas Bach and was shared on fishound.
