A group of orcas, also known as killer whales, have been observed killing blue whales for the first time.
The scientific community has debated if orcas can hunt blue whales.
Three instances of orcas attacking blue whales off the coast of Western Australia have answered the question. The killer whales swam inside the mouth of the enormous whales to eat their tongue just before they died.
The first documentation of killer whales killing and eating blue whales was provided in the paper.
Researchers arrived at the first killing of a 72 foot long blue whale to see large chunks of skin and blubber having been slashed and bitten off.
Three orcas lined up against the blue whale and pushed it underwater, while two attacked its head.
50 orcas joined the pack for six hours to eat.
A blue whale calf was attacked a few weeks later. The orcas attacked the animal.
A blue whale was chased for 15 miles in a 90 minutes hunt, the final attack recorded by the study. The orcas hunting strategy was to ram the whale under the water while others attacked its head and tongue. A 50-strong pack devoured the kill.
It was thought that orca attacks had to be executed by the biggest killer whales, who can grow to 30 feet in length, to be successful. The study said that the drive to feed their offspring may make them more aggressive.
Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University, told National Geographic that this is the biggest predator taking down the biggest prey. It is an amazing thing.
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