Do Sharks Eat Whales?

Sharks are cold-blooded carnivorous fish. Sharks live in oceans and seas all over the world. Sharks have fins and gills, which aid them in breathing underwater. Sharks have been in existence for close to 400 million years. In the sea’s population, there are over 500 species of sharks.

Sharks come in different sizes. The smallest shark is the size of a human’s arm and is around 22cm long. The largest shark, the whale shark, which is also the biggest fish, can be up to 13 meters long. Sharks can weigh up to 20 tons.

A shark’s gestation period varies. There are different types of sharks. There is the oviparous. These sharks only lay eggs. The viviparous sharks give birth to live young ones and in the ovoviviparous sharks, which the eggs develop and hatch inside the mother’s womb and are born.

Sharks are one of the ocean’s greatest predators. Most sharks have very sharp and rowed teeth. They use their teeth to cut or crush their prey and eat them. A shark’s diet will depend on the species. Some of the things sharks eat include small fish and invertebrates, stingrays, sea turtles, seals, and sea lions among others.

Whales do eat sharks. However, do sharks eat whales? This article will give you more insight into which sharks eat which whales.

Do sharks attack whales?

Whales are bigger than sharks. The killer whale or orca has sharks on its diet. However, do sharks attack whales? There are instances recorded of sharks attacking whales. A shark will attack a baby whale if it is swimming alone without any other members of its family around.

Large sharks like the great white sharks do attack some sea mammals such as dolphins and porpoises, which make up the Cetacean family. The great white shark does attack humpback whales. The Dusky shark sometimes preys on humpback whales.

When sharks see a sick whale or an injured one, they might attack it and feed on it. Sharks sometimes attack whales to defend themselves, their babies, and family.

How do whales defend themselves?

When sharks attack whales, they do not give in easily. Whales put up a hard fight to survive and get to see another day.

Whales use their tail as a defense mechanism. Whales have huge tails. They use their tails to slam or hit their predators. This injures the predator and it swims away. A whale also uses its head to defend itself and scare away predators.

Whales live in large pods. There is power in numbers. When a predator sees a large number of whales, it will not dare attack them, for they will attack back.

Whales are the biggest sea mammals. Due to their size, many sharks fear attacking whales. Attacking and killing a large whale will be difficult for any shark.

Whales are also very good swimmers and divers. They can dive deep into the ocean. This makes it hard for the predators to dive deeper and follow the whales to the deep depths.

Which whales do sharks hunt?

Sharks rarely eat whales. This is because whales are large and they fight back as a defense mechanism. There are however some sharks that do eat whales. The great white shark, dusky shark, and tiger sharks do hunt and kill humpback whales.

Sharks target the humpback whales during their migration and bite them. The humpback whale will bleed, become weak and eventually give up.

Do sharks eat killer whales?

Killer whales or Orcas are the top predators in the ocean’s food chain. They are big and are good hunters. Killer whales are also fast swimmers and hunt in groups. This helps them during hunting and in protecting the family.

The great white shark is an equally good predator. Sharks however stay away from killer whales. This is because killer whales eat sharks and especially their liver. When any shark sees a killer whale, they tend to swim away.

Do sharks eat blue whales?

The simple answer to this question is no. Blue whales are much bigger than any sharks. Due to their size, sharks often feel threatened. They will not dare attack an animal that is almost double its size. Blue whales eat krill and small fish so they do not pose a danger to any shark.

Do sharks attack whale calves?

Sharks attack humpback whales. If an opportunity arises, a shark will hunt a humpback calve. This happens especially when the calf is sick or weak. Sharks see this as an opportunity to get a meal and hunt down and kill the calf.

Do sharks eat dead whales?

Yes! Sharks do feed on dead whales. Some whales like the blue whale and the killer whales are too large for sharks to hunt. If a large whale dies of other causes and a shark comes across its carcass, the shark will eat the dead whale.

How do sharks hunt whales?

In some cases, sharks will follow humpback whales as they migrate. A shark will bite one of the whales repeatedly and the whale will start bleeding. It will continue doing this until the whale becomes weak due to over bleeding. As the whale bleeds, the blood will attract other sharks and they will come and feast on the whale.

Sharks can also bite the humpback’s tail and drag it into the water. This will eventually make the whale’s blowhole submerged in water and the whale will drown.

Do sharks eat whales and vice versa?

Yes. Sharks do eat some species of whales, like humpback whales. Whales like killer whales do eat sharks and have a special liking for sharks’ liver.

Conclusion

The great white shark, tiger shark, and dusky shark eat the humpback whale. Sharks stay away from other whales like the killer whale and the blue whale because they are big and might overpower them when they try to hunt. Whales defend themselves by using their tails and other defense mechanisms.