Videos from 2020 and 2022 recorded in the Gulf of California show a group called the Moctezuma pod flipping young great white sharks into tonic immobility, slicing them open, and extracting their livers to share. The behavior was described in Frontiers in Marine Science and resembles liver-targeting attacks previously seen in South Africa, though Mexican orcas appear to focus on younger sharks. Researchers say improved filming technology has made these long‑standing, learned hunting tactics easier to document, and warn such predation can reshape local ecosystems if it becomes widespread.
Shocking Footage: Orcas Flip Great White Sharks and Strip Out Their Livers
Videos from 2020 and 2022 recorded in the Gulf of California show a group called the Moctezuma pod flipping young great white sharks into tonic immobility, slicing them open, and extracting their livers to share. The behavior was described in Frontiers in Marine Science and resembles liver-targeting attacks previously seen in South Africa, though Mexican orcas appear to focus on younger sharks. Researchers say improved filming technology has made these long‑standing, learned hunting tactics easier to document, and warn such predation can reshape local ecosystems if it becomes widespread.
13:53, 03.11.2025Science
Orcas filmed flipping great whites and eating their livers in the Gulf of California
Newly analyzed video from scientists working in Mexico shows a group of orcas—nicknamed the Moctezuma pod—flipping young great white sharks onto their backs, rendering them immobile, and slicing out the sharks' fatty livers to share among the pod. The recordings, taken in 2020 and 2022, were described in a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
The clips document a clear sequence: orcas flip the shark to induce tonic immobility (a temporary, catatonia-like state), open the shark's flank, extract the liver, and then share the pink, energy-rich organ while the rest of the carcass sinks out of view. In one scene a nearby sea lion appears to try to steal a piece but is deterred when the orcas blow bubbles toward it.
“I saw in the monitor that the shark had the liver hanging out on the side, already popped off. And a few minutes later, they came up with the liver in their mouth,” said Erick Higuera-Rivas, a marine biologist and documentarian who filmed the events and coauthored the study.
Researchers note that this liver-targeting behavior previously had only been well documented in South Africa, where specific orcas (nicknamed Port and Starboard) have been observed preying on adult great whites and leaving carcasses washed ashore. The Mexican recordings differ in that the Moctezuma pod appears to be taking mainly younger sharks.
Alison Towner, who has studied the South African cases, and other scientists say the similarities and small tactical differences suggest group-specific learning: distinct orca groups independently develop specialized hunting techniques tailored to local prey.
Francesca Pancaldi, a coauthor of the paper, explained the advantage: when flipped, a shark enters tonic immobility and becomes easy to handle, and the liver is particularly lucrative—roughly one-quarter of a shark's body by volume and rich in calories.
Scientists emphasize that the behavior is likely not new to orcas but has only recently been documented more clearly thanks to improvements in drones and filming technology. They also warn of possible ecosystem consequences if sustained predation forces great whites to abandon traditional aggregation sites, as observed in South Africa: shifts in shark distribution can cascade through local food webs, altering populations of seals, other sharks, and smaller fish.
Pancaldi added that changing ocean conditions may be increasing encounters between orcas and great whites in the Gulf of California: researchers have recorded more white sharks in the region over the past decade, a pattern potentially tied to temperature shifts from climate variability such as El Niño.
Why it matters: These videos reveal a sophisticated, targeted hunting strategy by orcas that highlights both cultural learning among whales and the complex, ripple effects that predator–predator interactions can have on coastal ecosystems.
Originally published on NBCNews.com.