Killer whales, also known as Orcas are higly intelligent and social marine mammals that hunt in packs. They have been known to launch coordinated attacks on other whales, sharks and even wave-wash seals. On 18 April 2013, photographer Shawn Heinrichs captured one of the very few recorded incidents of killer whales attacking a pod of sperm whales.

Half a dozen orcas were filmed in this mid Indian ocean brawl off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist said:

Killer whale attacks on sperm whales have rarely been observed or reported.

My guess is that hunting sperm whales is not something to be taken lightly by killer whales, and that worldwide, there may only be a few groups that have mastered the ability to prey on sperm whales and their young.

A sperm whale tail crashing down on a killer whale would be a potentially life-threatening experience.

On the other hand, despite their giant size and impressive teeth, sperm whales are actually quite timid and terrified in the presence of killer whales, and, amazingly, they don’t seem to directly target killer whales with their tail slapping.

Last week Heinrich spotted a patch of white water in the ocean when he was in the area looking for blue whales. The boat moved toward s the white water and, that’s when Heinrich saw a killer whale’s dorsil fin slicing through the water and a cluster of sperm whales grouped together in a defensive stance. But instead of observing from the boat, Heinrich jumped in.

I grabbed my camera and slid off the side of the boat. There was a frothing, dark pile of shapes ahead of me. When I drifted away from the boat, the largest orca in the pod made a beeline for me but veered off at the last moment and dove deep.

The brawl lasted for about 30 minutes, with the orcas nipping and bashing the sperm whales. The water was left murky and bloody.

[Source: Wired, YouTube]