For the first time, scientists have captured video evidence of orcas cooperatively hunting whale sharks, the largest species of fish on Earth. This graphic footage proves that whale sharks are a regular part of some orcas’ diets, and solves the mystery of how they are able to kill the massive fish.

The method of hunting may imply that some orcas in the Gulf of California have acquired a special set of skills–like going after the ventral side of young whale sharks–that help them prey on these enormous fish. Orcas may have learned to do the same thing in other parts of the world, but evidence is limited, according to the team.

Marine biologists documented the never-before-confirmed behavior among orcas living in the Southern Gulf of California.

Orcas have been up to all sorts of things in 2024 – from sinking boats to reinstating fashion trends, these super-intelligent marine predators often make the news. While they have been up to some more wholesome antics,

When they're wearing salmon hats and terrorizing yachts, it's easy, perhaps, to forget that orcas are the most fearsome large predator lurking beneath the waves. Here comes a sobering reminder. A pod of orcas (Orcinus orca) that patrol the Gulf of California have devised collaborative hunting techniques to take down the biggest fish in the ocean: the magnificent,