What is the difference between killer whales and sharks

Killer whales may be the more dominant predator, but it is rare that they will kill and eat a great white shark, though it can happen sometimes. The short answer to this is no.

A great white shark simply cannot overpower a whale. Researchers are only aware of a handful of instances where sharks have been found feasting on a killer whale carcass, but unconfirmed of how they died.

Although humans are never on the menu for killer whales or great white sharks, they are certainly powerful enough and capable to kill. Since , there have been 6 confirmed human fatalities from great white sharks in the wild.

Sharks prefer fattier meals, and the composition of the human body is typically too muscular for their preference. But surprisingly, there have been no recorded killer whale attacks on humans in the wild — only one recorded bite. Although killer whale attacks on humans in the wild are rare, they can happen more often when held in captivity. Since , there have been four fatalities as a result of interactions with orcas. Each of these incidents happened when orcas were held in captivity mainly in SeaWorld , and 3 of the fatalities involved one famous whale named Tilikum.

There have been many other injuries on SeaWorld trainers that involved captive-held orcas. SeaWorld has phased out killer whale shows since Contact us to book your cruise today! Whale Vs. The sharks happily munched on young elephant seals in the waters around the island, which they regularly do between September and December.

To understand if that situation was common or the whole thing was a fluke, Jorgensen and his team looked deeper in the data, examining information about great white sharks tagged in the Farallones between and They compared that with whale, shark and seal surveys collected in the marine sanctuary collected over 27 years.

What they found was a standard pattern. When orca whales entered the area, the sharks bolted from Southeast Farallon and nearby islands. Sarah Sloat at Inverse reports that if the whales get within two miles of the islands, the sharks will pack up and leave. In an average year, researchers are able to document 40 elephant seals eaten by sharks. Have a question? Contact us today. Privacy Policy. American Oceans. Facebook Twitter Reddit Pinterest Email. Ocean Facts.

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