While the killer whale is an apex predator, it doesn’t mean other species will lie down and give up. These close bonds allow killer whales to work together when foraging and protect one another from potential threats from sharks and other marine animals that may put up a good fight when being attacked. Like with humans, the bonds of killer whales can last a lifetime. Killer whales are very family-oriented, and when one killer whale successfully captures its prey, the food is often split between family members and close friends. Part of what makes killer whales such successful hunters and defenders are the closely-knit packs or groups they travel in and rarely separate from. While other animals do not hunt these marine mammals, killer whales are well aware that some of their prey may try to defend themselves, which could lead to permanent injuries such as injured fins or the loss of an eye.īecause of this fact, killer whales are very cautious and methodical about their hunting methods to maximize their success rates while ensuring their safety. They have even been spotted sneaking up to the beach or an iceberg using stealth and then quickly leaping out of the water and onto the sand or iceberg to surprise their prey and grab onto it before it can react and escape. When hunting fast and agile prey such as dolphins, killer whales will work collectively to tire the dolphin out until they cannot swim away fast enough to escape. Once the shark is flipped over, it becomes shocked and unable to attack, allowing the killer whales to attack their prey without the fear of being attacked themselves. When hunting for food, these massive creatures can often be seen traveling in packs or pods using organized hunting strategies to isolate and immobilize their prey while minimizing their own chances of sustaining injuries.įor example, when hunting sharks, one or several killer whales may attempt to distract the shark while another killer whale sneaks up from behind or underneath the shark to ram it and flip it over. There are, however, a few cases of people being attacked in the wild, but these attacks are sporadic, and once the killer whale realized it wasn’t their typical food, they usually stop. ![]() In fact, there are no known cases of a killer whale consuming a person. However, unlike other dolphins, killer whales also hunt other marine animals such as seals, sea lions, penguins, sharks, and even other cetaceans, including whales and dolphins (killer whales do eat other dolphins) and porpoises.ĭespite being natural predators that eat other living mammals, killer whales do not appear interested in eating people. Like other dolphin species (killer whales belong to the dolphin family), they consume fish, squid, octopus, crustaceans, and cephalopods. ![]() Lacking any natural predators of their own, these marine mammals can freely hunt and kill other oceanic creatures without the fear of being hunted themselves. That is except humans, parasites, and diseases, which can significantly affect a killer whale’s health. When it comes to predator/prey relationships, the killer whale is an apex predator and isn’t known to have natural predators.
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