Drone footage shows orcas chasing and killing great white shark

The marine mammal was captured on camera killing one of the world's largest sea predators.

A scientific study released this week shows that a group of killer whales chase sharks off Mossel Bay, a port town in the southern Western Cape province.

Alison Towner, a shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in South Africa and lead author of the study, said that this behavior has never been witnessed in detail before.

Five orcas chase and kill a great white and three of them are believed to have been mauled to death.

Simon Elwen said that killer whales are intelligent and social. Their hunting methods are very effective.

Orcas, the ocean's apex predator, have been known to prey on other shark species. The reason behind the behavior was not looked at in the study.

One of the whales was known to have attacked a shark, but the other four were not. The authors said this suggested that the practice was spreading, with earlier studies showing that black and white animals can learn from one another.

According to the paper, sharks disappeared from the area after the attack, and only one great white was seen in the next 45 days. The authors think this shows sharks have a flight response.

Alison Kock, a marine biologist with South African National Parks, said that the animals ended up abandoning former key habitats with consequences for the environment.