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Orcas Hunt Juvenile Great White Sharks for Livers in Mexico
- On November 3, 2025, scientists published video evidence showing Moctezuma's pod in the Gulf of California flipping juvenile great white sharks to induce paralysis and remove their livers.
- Climate shifts including El Niño have altered nursery areas, increasing juvenile great white sharks in the Gulf of California and making them more vulnerable to Moctezuma's pod predation.
- In August 2020 and August 2022, researchers recorded hunts involving five adult orcas and documented the deaths of three juvenile great white sharks using aerial drone and underwater cameras.
- Researchers warn repeated predation pressures slow-growing Great white sharks in Mexico and urge broader surveys to assess frequency and guide protected-area planning.
- These findings position Moctezuma's pod as specialized shark predators; Dr. Salvador Jorgensen said, `This is the first time we are seeing orcas repeatedly target juvenile white sharks` while Dr. Francesca Pancaldi noted, `So far, we have only observed this pod feeding on elasmobranchs`.
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Orcas in Mexico Have Learned to Attack Young Great White Sharks—by Flipping Them Upside Down and Eating Their Livers
Researchers captured the novel behavior on video in the Gulf of California, recording three separate takedowns across two hunts carried out by members of the Moctezuma pod
·United States
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On the California coast, biologists have observed for the first time how Orcas target young white sharks and make them unable to move with a sophisticated maneuver. Thus, the sword whales can easily kill their prey to get to the coveted delicacy: the shark's liver.
Biology: In the Gulf of California, biologists have twice filmed a pod of orcas killing young white sharks. They are known as the largest…
·Netherlands
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Total News Sources86
Leaning Left16Leaning Right10Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution51% Center
Bias Distribution
- 51% of the sources are Center
51% Center
L 30%
C 51%
R 19%
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