I just did a similar thread on the grizzly bear. Then my thoughts turned to our friendly sea critters, and specifically, those wonderful “wolves of the sea”, the orcas / killer whales. They are considered apex predators, much like the aforementioned grizzlies. But I am fairly certain that an enraged bull sperm whale would be more than a match for a single killer whale (perhaps even two or three? I dunno…)
So, is there anything else in the seven seas that could send an orca down to Davey Jones’ Locker? I appreciate any information that comes my way…
If something sufficiently large enough could ram an Orca hard enough, and in just the right spot, they could possibly kill it, but it’s not likely to happen. It’s far more likely to die from a respiratory or other infection… I’ve actually seen THAT happen.
A great white shark can kill an orca, though it usually won’t go after one unless it’s small or sick (the great white would much rather eat something that doesn’t put up as much of a fight). There are a lot of orcas that have been found with scars from shark attacks, so we know that it happens on occasion.
However, a lot of orcas have learned how to coordinate as a group and take on the larger species of sharks, and some orcas have even figured out that if they grab the shark by the tail and flip it upside down, the great white will go into tonic immobility (something that affects a lot of shark species). Then all the orca has to do is hold the shark like that for about 15 minutes and the great white will basically suffocate to death. The orcas seem to teach this trick to other orcas in their pod too, so once any orca in the pod figures it out, any great white going after them could find itself in a whole world of hurt.
BTW, orca and sperm whale battles are rare, but have been observed. The orcas usually win those battles.
Narwahl tusks may exceed 10 feet in length. Even though they are hollow and likely to break during combat with an orca I would think they ought to be capable of inflicting a mortal wound. The solid 3-foot tusks of the walrus might also be potentially fatal to an orca. That does not mean either the narwhal or walrus would have much of a chance of surving the encounter.
Some sea snakes are extremely venomous. However, most species might have a problem opening their mouths wide enough to actually bite an orca. Blubber would also provide some protection. The most likely way for one to kill an orca is if the orca inadvertently swallowed it and it bit the inside of its mouth.
I should note that a sperm whale probably couldn’t kill an orca with its teeth. Sperm whale jaws are adapted for taking large but soft prey like giant squid, and there are no teeth in the upper jaw. It would have to strike a whale with its flukes.
Lots of sperm whales have washed up with sucker marks. Orcas are smaller than sperm whales, so in theory predation by giant squid should be possible, but I can’t find any evidence it has ever happened.
Orcas spend the vast majority of their time near the surface. Giant squid are believed to spend nearly all of their time in deep water (below 300m at least), so they probably rarely or ever come into contact. Sperm whales are much better adapted for extended periods of deep diving than orcas.
That’s the first thing I thought of. A Giant Squid might be able to kill an Orca but I don’t know if Orcas deep dive into the environs of the Giant Squid. If we can capture a Giant Squid alive maybe we could send it to Sea World and find out.
As you get into colder waters, the squids get closer to the surface. (I can’t link now, but the Wikipedia page for colossal squid explains this, I think.) Could their ranges overlap in colder climates?
Orcas are known to hunt in wolfpacks and take down much larger whales. There was a famous film making the rounds back in the 1970’s of a pack of orcas attacking a larger whale – I forget now what kind of whale it was (humpback? blue?).
There are videos on Youtube of orcas attacking various kinds of other whales, sharks, seals, and people.
Yep, I trained dolphins, sea lions, seals, pilot whales and orcas in a former life, and I used to know quite a bit about them.
‘Apex’ predator means that it’s at the top of the food chain. I’ve never heard anyone suggest that a Sperm Whale is an apex predator. I think a pack of Orcas could probably take down even an adult Sperm Whale, sick or otherwise, if it they could somehow keep it from diving to great depths. I’ve also seen captive Orcas ram each other with great force in anger…
