VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Watch out Jaws!
A landmark study has found that offshore West Coast Orcas enjoy shark for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The study in the journal Aquatic Biology looked at the diets of the killer whales and found DNA evidence that Pacific sleeper sharks are a favourite food – but not a healthy one.
The shark’s abrasive skin dulls and flattens the Orcas teeth but it’s believed the whales choose the sharks for their liver, which can grow to as big as 180 kilograms.
Almost 300 offshore Orcas have been identified off our coast – swimming between California and Alaska in pods of up to 50.