The ocean can be a very difficult place to live, one day you're at the top of the food chain, the next you're being chased by a pod of killer whales. That's exactly what happened to a lone shark circling the crystal clear waters off the coast of Cronulla, south of Sydney.
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The stunning aerial images were captured by photographer Bruno Kataoka, these images also incredibly rare as providing researchers with valuable information about the behavior of false killer whales ( Pseudorca crassidens).
7NEWS Sydney @7NewsSydney Rare scenes captured off Cronulla show sharks being hunted by whales. @AdeneCassidy7 #7News //t.co/wv7z7BWglR 10:57 AM - May 10, 2016 820 787 In the video, the whales chase the shark until it is exhausted, then capture it and take it to the depths. Like orcas, false killer whales also attack and kill other cetaceans, but this footage suggests that they may also enjoy eating sharks from time to time.
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The false killer whale or false killer whale has an elongated, black body with some light spots in the throat area, has a slightly rounded head and has teeth adapted for grasping and trapping. They can measure 5 to 6 meters long and weigh up to a ton and a half.
It wasn't possible to confirm the shark species from the video alone, and it's impossible to officially confirm that the whales we're seeing are fake killer whales without a closer look or a sample of their DNA. But marine biologist Georgina Wood told 7 News that their size and color make it very likely that they are the predators in this video. With more and more usersdrone hobbyists out there, we hope to see more of these amazing moments of animals doing their thing in the future.
SOURCE / Science Alert
