Discovery: Why Orcas Attack Great White Sharks (TT)

The fearsome great white shark is a top predator in the oceans. But a new Australian study shows that it is sometimes hunted itself.

A great white shark carcass that washed up on a beach in the state of Victoria, Australia, in 2023 has given scientists insight into how one of the ocean’s most powerful inhabitants is hunted.

The 4.7 metre long great white shark – the length of a car – was missing its liver, offering a unique opportunity to investigate who was behind the attack.

– The liver, digestive and reproductive organs were missing, and there were four distinct bites, said researcher Isabella Reeves in a press release from Australia’s Flinders University.

By swabbing the bite wounds for DNA, the researchers were able to determine that the bite on the nutrient-rich liver was caused by killer whales, while the three smaller bites were caused by the blunt-nosed sevengill shark, a scavenger.

Previously, scientists have detected similar behaviour from killer whales off South Africa and California.

– These findings are compelling evidence that killer whales are hunting great white sharks in Australian waters, with a strong indication that they are after the liver, said Reeves.

The study is published in Ecology and Evolution.