Do Dolphins Kill Sharks? Uncovering the Unspoken Tensions

Sharks have been in existence for around 455 million years. They are fish and use gills to breathe. Sharks are found in deep and shallow waters in oceans all over the world. Dolphins’ on the other hand are mammals and breathe using their lungs. Both sharks and dolphins are marine creatures. Dolphins can attack sharks and kill them when need be. In this article, we will discuss more this behavior.

Do Dolphins Kill Sharks?

The simple answer is yes! Dolphins and sharks share the same home in the ocean. Dolphins and sharks do fight sometimes and this can lead to the death of one of the two. Dolphins only attack sharks for self-defense purposes.

Sharks do attack dolphins. When a dolphin feels threatened, it will attack a shark. Most of the time, a shark will want to attack a dolphin’s calf and eat it. The mother or the entire pod will try to protect the calf and attack the shark. This is one instance where a dolphin can kill a shark.

When a shark spots a weak or sick dolphin, it becomes a target. A shark becomes a predator. The dolphin’s pod will do anything to protect one of its members. They will chase away the shark. They can even go to the extent to fight it and kill the shark if they feel threatened. 

Can a dolphin kill a great white shark?

Yes! A dolphin can kill a great white shark. Great white sharks big sea creatures. Great white sharks can grow up to 6.4 meters long. It is possible for the bottlenose dolphins if in pods to fight and kill a great white shark.

An Orca, a type of dolphin, can grow up to 9.7 meters long. This is much larger than the great white shark. The Orcas kill the great white sharks and eat their flesh. An Orca targets the great white’s gills and hits them. This disorients the shark and the Orca can go ahead and kill the great white shark.

Do dolphins kill baby sharks?

Dolphins can kill baby sharks. If a dolphin feels threatened by a baby shark, then it might fight it and the fight might lead to death. Baby sharks might be attracted to a dolphin’s calf and start to hunt it. When a dolphin pod sees this, they will try to protect the calf by killing the baby shark.

Dolphins also can kill a baby shark if the baby is with its mother and the mother threatens the pod. As a self-defense measure, a dolphin or the entire pod will try to fight the shark and in the process, since the baby shark is smaller, the dolphins might kill it.

Some dolphins attack and kill baby sharks for fun. We can conclude this because the baby sharks do not pose any threats to the dolphin for it to be killed.

Who will win a dolphin or a shark fight?

In as much as sharks can eat dolphins, they will avoid colliding with dolphins. This is because dolphins have proved to be better at fighting than sharks. If a fight was to occur between a dolphin and a shark, a dolphin will most likely win. Here are some reasons:

• Dolphins move in large groups called pods. It is rare to see a dolphin traveling alone. If the dolphins in the pod sense danger, they will protect and defend themselves. Dolphin calves, sick dolphins, and weak dolphins are protected by the entire pod. It will be difficult for a shark to hunt any of them down.
• Dolphins are intelligent. Dolphins can hear the sound in the sea. They use this to their advantage. Sharks sound is reflected in the water. Dolphins can hear when sharks are around and therefore they swim away from them to avoid shark attacks.
• Dolphins have a strong mouth and nose. The dolphin’s mouth and nose are sharp. They use this to hit any shark that comes their way. A dolphin uses its mouth to strike the shark’s stomach and sometimes gills. The dolphins can swim under the shark and hit its stomach. Most of the time, when a shark gets such an attack, it withdraws and backs off.
• Dolphins are very good swimmers compared to sharks. They are more flexible and can move in the water with much ease. They are also fast swimmers compared to sharks. A dolphin’s tail can move up and down. This helps a dolphin to change direction easily.

Therefore, with these reasons, we can confidently say that if there is to be a fight between a dolphin and a shark, the dolphin will win the fight.

Therefore, with these reasons, we can confidently say that if there is to be a fight between a dolphin and a shark, the dolphin will win the fight.

Why are sharks afraid of dolphins?

Sharks are afraid of dolphins because of how they live. Dolphins live in groups called pods. When in pods, the dolphins protect the young calves, the sick dolphins, and the weak dolphins. If a shark is to attack the pod, it has to go through several dolphins.

Sharks are afraid of dolphins because of their flexibility and swimming skills. Dolphins are good swimmers and can swim very fast. A dolphin can change its swimming direction fast and it might be hard for a shark to keep up.

Do dolphins eat sharks?

Yes. Some species of dolphins eat sharks. The Orca, also known as the killer whale, eats sharks. Orcas are bigger than sharks. They feed on sharks. Orcas are intelligent and move in pods. They have good eyesight and listen to sounds in the water to locate their prey.

The killer whales love eating sharks’ liver and will hunt them down especially for this. A shark’s liver is full of nutrients. Orcas kill the sharks by using their tails. They hit the sharks with it and this makes the shark immobile. They then go ahead and remove the liver, eat it leaving the rest of the body.

What kind of sharks do dolphins kill?

There are different sharks in the ocean just like dolphins. Some of the sharks that dolphins prey on include tiger sharks. These sharks are large and can grow up to 25 feet long. Dolphins also feast on great white sharks. These are also large and are the largest predatory fish. Dolphins can kill bull sharks.

Do dolphins attack hammerhead sharks?

A large hammerhead shark will occasionally attack a dolphin. When this happens, the dolphins will immediately switch to self-defense. The dolphin pod will use its mouth and nose to hit the hammerhead shark to chase it away. If the injury is severe, the hammerhead shark might die.

Do all dolphins kill sharks?

When a shark wants to eat a dolphin, a dolphin will do all it can to protect itself. Dolphins usually travel in pods. This becomes an added advantage to them since they can protect each other while they are many.

A dolphin’s main aim to fight and kill a shark is not to eat it, rather for self-defense. A dolphin uses its nose and mouth to hit a shark in its stomach and gills. This alone makes the shark scared and some swim away from the dolphin. If the shark does not swim away, the dolphins continue attacking it until it dies.

The Orca, or killer whale, hunts and kills sharks. Orcas love eating the shark’s liver. They, therefore, hunt sharks for this particular reason. An Orca does this by hitting the shark using its tail to disorient it and rips out the shark’s tongue.

Do dolphins attack sharks for fun?

Research shows that sometimes dolphins attack sharks, especially the small ones, for no reason. The sharks usually do not threaten the dolphins. The fact that the dolphins attack their victims and do not eat them can lead to the conclusion that dolphins sometimes attack sharks for fun.

Dolphins do kill other sea animals for fun. Dolphins can also kill each other’s calves. They sometimes do this for fun and if they feel the young, calves threaten them.

A dolphin can avoid a shark’s attack by staying away from them. Dolphins can hear and know when sharks are around. They decide to swim away from the sharks to avoid any confrontations with them. Some dolphins have also been seen to feed and breed in deeper waters where there is lesser danger.

Living in pods can also save a dolphin’s life. In pods, the dolphins are safer because they protect each other. Dolphin pods protect the young calves, the sick and injured and the weak dolphins like dolphins who have just given birth. When a shark sees a large pod of dolphins, it immediately backs away because it knows the power of the dolphins.

Conclusion

Dolphins are fast swimmers and can maneuver in the water easily. By using its tail, it can change its directions easily and swim away from any danger or threat it might be facing. If a dolphin cannot swim away, it can use its nose and mouth to give blows to the shark’s stomach and gills and injure or kill it. It will have saved its life.