https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-ramming-boats-to-hunting-great-white-sharks-five-astounding-orca-behaviors-180982510/
Some orcas specialize in prey like bluefin tuna, elephant seals or even blue whales—but others focus on hunting sharks. In 2011, researchers first documented the behavior in the Pacific Ocean.

https://www.popsci.com/environment/orca-hunting-techniques/
The orcas also deploy special techniques if their prey couldn't be easily cornered in open water. They subdued their prey by ramming into them with their head or body-as some orca do to boats

https://www.earth.com/news/killer-whales-use-clever-hunting-strategies-to-outsmart-prey/
The tail-slap KO. In this method, killer whales use their powerful tails to deliver a crushing blow to their prey. The force of the tail slap can be so immense that it disorients the prey, making it vulnerable to further attack. In some instances, smaller prey, such as sea lions, can be catapulted out of the water by the force of the tail slap.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/orcas-hunting-sharks-killer-whales
1. Rogue orcas are thriving on the high seas—and they're eating big whales. In March 2024, scientists reported a brand-new population of killer whales: Animals that ply the high seas, hunting

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/killer-whales-killer-weapon-brain/11352/
Orcas are sometimes called the 'wolves of the sea' and like their terrestrial counterpart the gray wolf, they tend to single out young or weak individuals when hunting large prey.

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/facts-about-orcas
Are orcas dolphins or whales? Why are killer whales called killer whales? How do orcas sleep while swimming?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/orca/
Orcas hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of orcas. These different groups may prey on different animals and

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-up-close-wave-washing-killer-whales
Then three killer whales' heads appear, bobbing up and down. The orcas are hunting. On this sheet of sea ice, the nearly thousand-pound seal would be unreachable for most marine predators.

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/explainers/explainer-how-orcas-hunt/
How orcas hunt. Orcas ( Orcinus orca) are one of the ocean's most efficient predators, and demonstrate intriguing hunting techniques. Dive in to learn more about these incredible marine mammals: Orcas (Orcinus orca) are one of the ocean's most efficient predators, and demonstrate intriguing hunting techniques.

https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/killerwhales101/
They're on the hunt! No clicks or calls are made as they swim - other marina mammals can hear those, so the Orcas' strategy is to sneak up on their prey, surround them - and attack! Transient Orcas are known to eat 22 different types of prey - everything from seals, sea lions, dolphins - even other whale species, sea birds, and moose!

https://www.sciencealert.com/orcas-have-learned-brutal-new-hunting-techniques-to-feed-in-the-open-sea
A sequence of images showing the orcas hunting the calf of a gray whale. (McInnes et al., PLOS One, 2024) To hunt the sea lions, multiple orcas surrounded a prey animal, taking turns rushing in and ramming it or hitting it with their head or tail. They would also toss the sea lion into the air.

https://wearesonar.org/2015/06/08/three-amazing-orca-hunting-strategies/
Orcas' innovative hunting strategies are not limited to the three described above. Orcas around the world are estimated to feed on over 140 species, such as sharks (including great whites), squids, sea otters, dolphins, bony fish, turtles, seabirds, and even baleen whales. The strategies used to capture this diverse variety of prey are almost

https://gagebeasleywildlife.com/articles/hunting-strategy-of-orcas/
Some orcas chase their prey inorder to corral them in an area. They have also been seen knocking animals off of icebergs with waves, so their members can catch them when they fall in the water. By isolating and overwhelming their prey killer whales use the other members in their pod to increase their chance in catching meals.

https://www.livescience.com/27431-orcas-killer-whales.html
—Type A orcas travel in and out of Antarctic waters, following the migration of their main prey, minke whales. —Type B (large) animals are also called pack ice orcas, because they hunt seals

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-the-inuit-taught-scientists-about-killer-whales-88501052/
The Inuit knew about what the whales ate, how they hunted and captured prey, how the prey responded to the whales and when and where predation events occurred. The information provided by the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fx9G-uGcXU
Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. They're immediately recognizable by their distinctiv

https://daily.jstor.org/how-killer-whales-kill/
Orcas primarily prey on young gray whale calves, which are vigorously defended by their mothers. Mother gray whales will interpose themselves between the orcas and their calves, and wave their mighty tails in an attempt to keep orcas away. They will also attempt to reach shallower water. If they are successful, the orcas will break off pursuit.

https://defenders.org/blog/2024/06/pod-of-orca-facts
This special coloration helps orcas to hunt without their prey seeing them as a potential predator until it is too late. The exact markings, including the shape and color of the white-gray saddle patch behind the dorsal fin and dorsal fin size and shape vary between individuals and populations, helping researchers identify and study individual

https://www.sciencealert.com/dramatic-orca-footage-reveals-a-rare-hunting-technique-used-to-trap-and-kill-prey
Dramatic footage showed killer whales using a rare hunting technique to trap and kill a seal in the icy waters surrounding Antarctica. The video, part of the BBC's new Frozen Planet II documentary released Sunday in the UK, shows four killer whales that attacked a Weddell Seal. The seal had found refuge on a platform made of ice floating on

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-killer-whales-rip-out-shark-livers/
Dating back to at least the 1950s, dead sharks whose liver was extracted by orcas have been observed in Argentina and New Zealand and off the coast of California, Meyer says. Near Gansbaai, orcas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk1VdQxeTn4
Killer Whales have arrived at shore for something to eat, a herd of sea lions may be their first victim. Subscribe to BBC Earth for more amazing animal video

https://www.whalefacts.org/whale-diet/
Baleen whales. Baleen whales hunt for food using a technique known as filter feeding in which they swim towards their prey with their mouths open and filter food through their baleen bristles, which look similar to the bristles found on a comb. The baleen bristles act as filters by trapping prey such as fish, shrimp, and krill in the baleen

https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-think-they-know-why-orcas-keep-ramming-boats-2024-5?op=1
"The key message is that there is not evidence that this behavior is aggressive or that the whales are 'attacking' the boats," Zerbini added. "This appears to be a fad, which plays a role in the

https://www.businessinsider.com/video-orcas-hunting-and-killing-giant-blue-whales-off-australia-coast-2022-1?op=1
"Here we provide the first documentation of killer whales killing and eating blue whales: two individuals killed, 16 days apart in 2019, and a third in 2021," the researchers wrote in the paper.

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/what-do-killer-whales-eat/
Killer whales eat fish, squid, seals, sea birds, and more. Killer whales eat fish, marine mammals, seals, cephalopods, and even sea birds. The killer whale is a carnivore, so it only eats the meat from other creatures. Fortunately, the ocean has a bounty of prey. Since the killer whale is considered an apex predator, many creatures in the ocean

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/between-dives-orcas-take-only-a-single-breath-180984444/
Northern resident killer whales, ... resting and 1.5 to 1.8 breaths per minute while traveling or hunting. Most dives lasted less than a minute, though one adult male did spend more than eight

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/are-these-orcas-hunting-a-blue-whale-35x-their-size/ss-BB1oal8s
Orcas often hunt in groups called pods, where they coordinate and cooperate to catch their prey. When hunting smaller prey, they will herd their prey together in groups making it easy to capture

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/orcas-on-the-outer-banks-killer-whales-spotted-off-cape-hatteras/ar-BB1oi6eK
The killer whales were jumping and barrel-rolling, possibly chasing some sort of prey. A few seconds after the orcas arrived, those fishing started catching bluefish. "They were lighting up

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/orcas-boats-sinking-spain-play
For instance, Australian animals work as a team to kill blue whales, the largest animals on Earth; Antarctic orcas use waves as a tool to flush seals into the water; and notorious pair in South

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/4-ways-whales-show-they-are-highly-intelligent-creatures/ar-AA1n7WOP
The whales then slap the water (and the fish) with their powerful tails, further disabling the prey. Orcas (killer whales) also cooperate to create waves that push seals off the ice for easier