The doomed whale managed to fight off the orcas for 30 minutes before eventually ‘succumbing to the onslaught’
DRAMATIC images captured the moment a rare 60ft blue whale was hunted down, slaughtered and eaten by a gang of orcas.
A six-strong pod of killer whales viciously attacked the enormous mammal off the south coast of Western Australia before 50 more joined in to feast on its blood-soaked carcass.
6A rare blue whale was bitten and dragged to the depths by a pod of six orcas
Blood gushed into the South Australian waters during the attack
In the planet’s biggest predator and prey death match, the huge baleen whale fought for its life against the group of attackers.
Incredible pictures show blood and flesh gushing into the water as the orcas took chunks out of their target.
The blue whale managed to fight off its attackers for half an hour before “succumbing to the onslaught”, experts said.
It is only the second time orca adult blue whale conflict has been documented worldwide, and the first time in Australian waters.
Researchers from the West Australian based Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC WA) and Project Orca witnessed the extremely rare event on March 21, at around 8.45am.
In awe, we then witnessed about 50 killer whales feed, sharing their prize for the next 6 hours.
John Totterdell, Orca Researcher
CETREC founder and orca researcher, John Totterdell, said: “In the middle of an intense lightning storm with visibility less than 200m the team, on route to their offshore study area, literally stumbled onto this colossal event.
“The blue whale had already been wounded with bites and blood visible around the head area, though it actively fought on for about half an hour before succumbing to the onslaught and was then held under long enough to drown and/or bleed out.
“In awe, we then witnessed about 50 killer whales feed, sharing their prize for the next 6 hours.”
Blue whales can reach 100 feet in length, weighing over 170 tonnes. The mammal is the biggest animal known to have ever existed.
Killer whales, or orca, are the ocean’s apex predator and males can reach 26-foot-long and weigh around six tonnes.
Killer whales (orca) are the ocean’s top predator, and so, we bear witness to some intense and powerful encounters.
John Totterdell, Orca Researcher
They are the biggest member of the dolphin family and have been recorded hunting large whales and even great white sharks.
Also on board the CETREC vessel were researchers Isabella Reeves, Ashleigh Roddick, Machi Yoshida, Hiroyuki Nakagawasai and Colin Hampson.
Totterdell said: “Even with a sometimes playful nature, and a sophisticated family orientated social structure, killer whales (orca) are the ocean’s top predator, and so, we bear witness to some intense and powerful encounters.
“In recent years, observations and accounts of killer whales predating on the calves of large whales and other smaller cetaceans have been on the increase.
“Off WA smaller sized cetaceans have shown to be a regular annual prey source for the orca.
