Rare video shows whale shark having its liver 'slurped out' by an orca

There’s a reason orcas are known as killer whales, but we didn’t know they were such Hannibal Lecters of the sea.

It turns out the razor-toothed mammals like to feast on the livers of their victims (though, they’re less fussed about the fava beans and Chianti).

And thanks to a video shot by a South African-based ocean safari company, you can witness an orca tearing the vital organ from a shark with your own eyes.

In the clip, filmed off the coast of Mexico last month, one of the black and white assassins – which is also the largest member of the dolphin family – can be seen clasping the underbelly of a whale shark.

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It visibly gorges on the shark’s innards, before breaking off and leaving a cloud of blood in its wake.

“Looks like [the orca] slurped [...] the liver and then the whale shark just fell and descended down, with no movement – I'm assuming it was dead," Ocean Safaris CEO, James Moskito, who recorded the deadly encounter told Live Science.

The gory footage is largely considered to be the first video showing an orca attacking a whale shark.

Killer Whale attacks Whale Sharkwww.youtube.com

Viewers of the clip have voiced a mixture of awe and horror at the rare sighting, with a number pointing out that whale sharks aren’t ruthless, 'Jaws'-like predators, but “gentle giants”.

They are, in fact, the world’s biggest shark and fish, and are unable to bite or chew. Indeed, their teeth are so tiny that they can only eat small shrimp, fish, and plankton by using their gill rakers as a suction filter.

And although their intimidating size puts off most predators, it’s clearly not enough to keep orcas at bay.

Whale sharks are a favourite among snorklersiStock

“The largest and most vicious dolphin against the largest, most gentle and docile shark,” one YouTube commentator wrote as a summary of the footage.

“It breaks my heart to know the orcas kill whale shark[s],” said another, adding “I’m conflicted as I adore both orcas and whale sharks, but I understand that nature is cruel and predators must eat to survive.”

Still, killer whales don’t just prey on easy targets. They’re known for taking on great white sharks –, and winning.

In the case of great whites, orcas are known to use a technique called “tonic immobility”, by which they flip a shark upside-down to disorient it.

Once the shark is catatonic, the killer whales can get on with digging out its choicest cuts.

Killer whales caught on camera hunting, catching great white sharkwww.youtube.com

An understanding of the nutritional value of livers may have spread among orca pods through cultural transmission, as IFL Sciencenotes.

This would explain why they make such a concerted effort to extract the organ – knowing that it’ll provide them with the essential fats and calories they need.

This all just serves as yet more proof that there’s a lot more to killer whales than Sea Life and 'Free Willy'.

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