Orcas develop surgical technique to extract livers from great white sharks

Published on January 08, 2026 | Translated from Spanish
Underwater image showing orcas swimming near a great white shark in deep blue waters

Orcas Develop Surgical Technique to Extract Livers from Great White Sharks

The marine scientific community is astonished by the specialized predatory behavior that groups of orcas have demonstrated when hunting great white sharks with extraordinary precision. These cetaceans have perfected a technique that allows them to selectively extract only the livers from their prey, leaving the rest of the body completely intact. 🐋⚡

Hunting Method with Anatomical Precision

Observations made in South African and Australian waters reveal how these marine mammals use their collective intelligence to isolate great white sharks. Through coordinated movements and calculated attacks, the orcas manage to immobilize their prey before making precise incisions that allow them to access the most nutritious organ. This specialization represents a level of predatory efficiency never before documented in the marine animal kingdom.

Characteristics of the Liver as a Target:
  • Organ with high concentration of lipids and essential nutrients
  • Provides maximum energy with minimum digestive effort
  • Contains vitamins and compounds that favor orca metabolism
"Orcas have discovered the marine equivalent of opening a can of tuna and eating only the tastiest part, leaving the rest for opportunistic predators" - Marine Observer

Ecological Consequences of Selective Predation

Marine ecologists express concern about the impact this behavior could have on oceanic ecosystems. Great white sharks function as essential regulators of other species' populations, and their decline could trigger domino effects through food webs. This alteration in predator-prey dynamics could substantially modify the balance of the entire marine ecosystem.

Possible Chain Effects:
  • Imbalance in populations of fish and marine mammals
  • Changes in migration patterns of affected species
  • Modification in the community structure of coastal ecosystems

Evolutionary Adaptation and Dietary Specialization

This predatory phenomenon represents a fascinating example of how animal intelligence can lead to the development of highly specialized feeding strategies. Orcas have demonstrated the ability to identify and exploit the most valuable resource within their prey, optimizing their energy intake through techniques that require social coordination and precise anatomical knowledge. 🦈💡