Article Summary:

An article posted on DivePhotoGuide.com from the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals reveals a possible predatory interaction between killer whales and hammerhead sharks off the coast of the Galápagos islands.

The observation describes an encounter with three killer whales:

A dead female hammerhead shark could be clearly seen lying on the sandy bottom. It was estimated to be 2.5-3m long, compared to the size of the killer whale hovering approximately 3m directly above it. The whale was motionless, in a vertical position, with its rostrum oriented towards the shark…the divers moved closer to attempt to identify the shark species and noticed that the killer whale had begun to chase a small (approximately 40cm) hammerhead shark.

The authors request to be contacted if any photographers or videographers have captured the behavior they describe.