Intelligence and power: the killer whale immobilizes the shark and drowns the whale

It hunts sharks, dolphins, cetaceans and sea mammals such as seals. They use sonar to detect the victim and use numerical superiority and enormous weight, strength and speed to hunt. They weigh up to eleven tons and can swim at speeds of up to 48 kilometers per hour. Not only that, they can rely on a powerful brain when hunting, it is the second largest of marine mammals and has a considerable number of turns. And on top of that, they are very social animals that can benefit from cooperation. It all makes killer whales a deadly killer.

Killer whales use different strategies for different victims, but all of them are impressive. In the case of seals, they have to deal with the fact that these mammals often rest in a safe shelter in the middle of the ice floe. In a seemingly safe asylum, because killer whales have adopted effective tactics to get seals out of his hiding place. It requires collective cooperation, harmony and timing, but all this is present in the arsenal of these sea killers.

Killer whale versus seal: you won't find shelter

To deprive the seal of its refuge, a group of killer whales set out against the bush, raise a wave, and to make it even stronger, just before the circle, the killer whales sink and amplify the wave by slapping their tails. The powerful impact of the wave surprises their victims - and flushes them off the ice. The seal descends into the water and immediately afterwards into the open jaws full of sharp killer whale teeth lurking behind the ring.

This sophisticated hunting technique was first noticed by scientists in 1979, at first they thought it was a spontaneous, unique and in fact random strategy, but later they found that groups of killer whales living near the Antarctic Peninsula consciously passed it on. They even organize "workshops" to be adopted by their young. Experienced hunters take young killer whales with them, and scientists have already documented cases where sweeping a seal out of the bush does not end with its consumption. Killer whales give him the role of a guinea pig, throwing him back on the wheel to give the whole exercise to their students again, for better mastery.

Take a look at the seal catch (successful action starts at about 2:40):

However, they have only one species of seal in the area concerned, the Weddell seal, and the populations of other seals, although much larger, are ignored. According to scientists, they may have a good reason, because the meat of the Weddell seal is much fatter, which is a significant advantage for killer whales in freezing Antarctic waters.

Killer whale versus shark: karate and immobility

The shark is considered the predatory king of the oceans, but in reality he must bow to the real killer, the killer whale. Even shark hunting requires refined tactics, and sharp shark teeth are a deadly challenge for them. Nevertheless, killer whales dare to bear nine species of sharks, including the great white shark, which grows to a length of five meters, the four-meter-long Pacific shark or the mako shark, which reaches a length of over three meters.

One of the methods of killer whales to defeat the shark and minimize the danger of its jaws again relies on the power of killer whale tails. With their help, they can throw the shark above the surface, the blows of the tails create a vortex that throws the victim up. The next step is what scientists call a dramatically "karatistic cut" and the label is fitting, because the killer whale lifts its tail into the air and deals a sharp blow to the shark's head.

Even more remarkable, however, is the grand finale of the duel. Immediately afterwards, the killer whale quickly turns the victim upside down - and thus puts her in a state of muscle cramps. Does the killer whale understand shark biological mechanisms so perfectly? Certainly not, but she's smart enough to be able to see the consequences of certain movements.

"You don't have to understand how it works to drive a car. All you have to do is understand the individual actions that the car can drive. Similarly, killer whales that can do this simply have learned that if they turn the shark upside down, they don't fight back. They used it to their advantage, "says Ingrid Visserová, an expert in killer whales. In the upright position, the shark becomes helpless prey - feasts can begin. However, this technique must also be passed on to new generations. Killer whales have been grinding it for years, both by observing adult members of the group and by their own training.

Other shark strategies include circumventing the lone victim and subsequently beating the tails. Other times, the killer whale unexpectedly swims and grabs his belly. The last step is always to immobilize it.

Killer whale versus whale: drown

Killer whales are predators without hasty respect, they will not stop at the larger inhabitants of the oceans, even at the humpback whales, whales or giant flounders. They often look for a weakened piece or cub and attack it with blows, biting, pushing. Above all, it tries to use numerical superiority to prevent the victim's nostrils from getting above the surface. The whole fight often lasts long hours, if the killer whales are successful, it ends with the drowning of an exhausted giant opponent. The hunters then indulge in the most nutritionally valuable parts of the body, such as the tongue, leaving the rest to the scavengers.

Humpback whales, however, are not easy targets, and their behavior is as remarkable as killer whale offensive strategies. Humpback whales have highly developed social emotions, including the ability to empathize. Not only did they protect their own cubs from killer whales in a thoughtful way, they also shocked scientists in several cases where they attacked other attackers, such as seals, from killer whales. Experts even recorded a case in which a humpback whale landed on the chest of a hunted seal and then even hid it from its fins in front of killer whales, in order to eventually transport it to the ice floe. In another case, the humpback whales tried to beat their tails by beating their tails, trumpets, and shaking their heads at killer whale attacks.

Killer whale versus sea lion: to the beach!

Killer whales can step on prey even on land. For example, they pretend to be sea lions, and avoiding the risk of failing to return to the water requires practice and dexterity again.

"You will not hide from me." The killer whale also goes to the beach for the sea lions.

According to experts, killer whales go to the beach for sea lions not only for food, but also for fun - they just enjoy chasing them and enjoy moving over land.

After the shocked sea lions, the jumps of their monstrous body come out of the water and similarly, after catching the victim, they are transported back to the ocean. They are the only whales that consciously go to the beach.

Killer whale versus small bite: "shackle" and harvest

Small fish would definitely not pay for killer whales through a "price-performance ratio" optics, so they had to master the technique of mass catching. And that is another testament to the predator's sophisticated killer technologies.

It requires the sensitive cooperation of the whole group, the killer whales approach a school of fish, such as herring, and release bubbles in a coordinated manner around it - thus tying the fish into an ever tighter spherical formation, which they also maintain by slapping their fins. The hunting technique was given the name "carousel feeding", because the formation accompanied by swirling resembles a carousel.

While one part of the killer whale takes care of keeping the fish together, another scares them with a noise that pushes the victims to the surface. When the poor hunters are ready, the killer whales send a punch of tails in the middle of a ball full of fish, and the stunned fish then just catch between the giant jaws.