New Incidents of Orcas Preying on Great White Sharks: What Makes These Attacks Mysterious?

Although certain hypotheses are raised, it is not known exactly why the orca specifically chooses the shark liver, nor how it precisely locates this organ from the shark.

Basically, and in view of the criteria, the Orca is the big winner of this tournament. Smarter, (Orca is a social and strategic animal, it has even developed a verbal language), faster but also more powerful, (the strength of the bite of a white shark reaches 300 kg/cm2 that of An orca… 1000 kg/cm2).

Anatomy of an attack

If this observation is not scientific, a new study would prove the predation of the orca on a white shark. Posted on January 27, 2025 and entitled “Genetic evidence of the predation of orcas on white sharks in Australia”, Base on the analysis of a 4.7-meter white shark carcass which failed on the shore of southeast Australia in October 2023.

First, organs were missing from this shark, (the liver, the digestive and reproductive organs). In addition, the animal's carcass had four bites. Finally, a scientific relationship attests to the presence of orcas which hunted an unidentified prey in the region. What put the chip in the researchers' ear.

Why do orcas only consume the shark liver?

The latter carried out genomic analyzes on samples taken from the bites. They have indeed “confirmed the presence of orc DNA in the main bite area”. The other bites were the work of the Malaysian shark ( Notorynchus cepedianus).

This bite is therefore formal proof that there are many acts of predation on the part of the orcas on white sharks in Australia. These target the animal's liver to consume it. An event that recalls a series of others that took place in South Africa “Over the past decade”. According to the study, “The predations of this nature are more widespread on a global scale than we currently think”.

According to the Agency Science Presse, a Quebec press agency, this selection of the liver on the part of the orcas would mean that the shark liver acts as a sort of nutritive supplement for the orca. The agency also recalls that “The diet of orcas is not the same for groups according to the places where they are found”.