Incredible footage captured the moment three 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er whales ripped a great white shark to pieces. Have a look:
The savage attack was filmed just off the coast of South Africa, and is set to be shown as part of Discovery Channel’s ‘Shark Week’.
In the short clip, which is the first time such an attack has been captured from a drone, two orcas can be seen swimming close to the shark while a third suddenly appears beneath the water.
It then begins thrashing around, clearly biting a huge chunk out of the shark’s stomach as blood comes pouring out.
The whale then takes hold of the shark and drags is down through the water.
Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, no?
The shark is circled by three 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er whales. Credit: Discovery+
Speaking to the Daily Beast, where the footage was first published, a scientist said it was ‘one of the most beautiful pieces of natural history’ she had ever seen.
I guess that’s kind of true, if by ‘beautiful’ she means truly horrific.
Alison Towner: “I really do think once that footage airs, it’s going to go viral. The whole world is going to go into a frenzy about it because it’s just so unique.”
Analysing the video, Towner, who has over a decade’s worth of experience researching these animals, said the whale seems to be chowing down on the liver area.
She also remarked that while the shark measures roughly nine metres in length, it looks ‘tiny’ in comparison to the predators.
“We’ve had all the evidence for 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er whales being responsible for 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing white sharks,” she went on.
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“But this is the world’s first drone footage of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er whales predating on a white shark. It’s the first time in South Africa it’s ever been documented as direct evidence.”
It is then mauled, with one of the whales taking a bit out of its stomach. Credit: Discovery+
Last year, a man shared his own experience of coming face to face with a 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er whale while enjoying a swim in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.
After spotting eight orcas nearby, Steve Morris whipped out his camera to capture the pod, only for one to swim by within arm’s length of him.
Steve, from Tauranga, New Zealand, said: “It was pretty much the best day of my life this morning. The encounter was epic, something I’ve dreamed about ever since I started swimming.
“The orca were extremely close, barely a metre away. I have never seen this face to face interaction before but I have dreamt about it.
“At first when I saw the two break away from the rest of the pod it was a bit unnerving. But when I realised they had just come to say hello, I just enjoyed the experience.”
