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Orcas have learned how to hunt and kill huge whale sharks, video shows

Off the coast of Mexico, scientists have observed a pod of killer whales adapting new skills to help them hunt these docile giants of the sea.

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An orca surfaces near a whale watching boat off Point Loma in San Diego in January 2024. (Denis Poroy/AP)
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A pod of orcas off the coast of Mexico appears to have learned new skills that help them hunt whale sharks — the world’s largest fish, scientists say.

A study published Friday in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science documents a number of hunting events in the Gulf of California between 2018 and 2024, captured in photographs and video footage by members of the public and scientists.