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For the first time, recently captured video footage shows the dramatic moments when a pod of orcas stun great white sharks, paralyzing their prey along the water’s surface.

Researchers believe it’s the first time this activity has been filmed and described, as reported in a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal .

“This is the first time we are seeing orcas repeatedly target juvenile white sharks,” said study author Salvador Jorgensen of California State University. “Adult white sharks react quickly to hunting orcas, completely evacuating their seasonal gathering areas and not returning for months. But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas. We just don’t know yet whether white shark anti-predator flight responses are instinctual or need to be learned.”

Known as Moctezuma’s pod, this group of orcas has developed a unique strategy for hunting juvenile white sharks in the Gulf of California. Here’s how they do it: The whales work together to push the shark to the surface, then maneuver the animal upside-down. This induces what’s known as a state of tonic immobility, where the shark loses awareness of its surroundings, essentially becoming paralyzed.

“This temporary state renders the shark defenseless, allowing the orcas to extract its nutrient-rich liver and likely consume other organs as well, before abandoning the rest of the carcass,” said marine biologist and lead study author, Erick Higuera Rivas, in a .

Then, the orcas target and eat the shark’s large, calorie-rich liver.

Video shows two separate hunts, one in 2020 and another in 2022, with multiple orcas pushing sharks to the surface and working together to turn them upside down. Eventually, the pod of sharks resurfaces with the shark’s liver.

They note that the whales’ collaborative effort shows a high level of intelligence, social learning, and coordinated strategy that may have been passed down from previous generations.

“I believe that orcas that eat elasmobranchs—sharks and rays—could eat a great white shark, if they wanted to, anywhere they went looking for one,” said Rivas. “This behavior is a testament to orcas’ advanced intelligence, strategic thinking, and sophisticated social learning, as the hunting techniques are passed down through generations within their pods.”

Climate change events, such as El Niño, may have altered white shark nursery areas, resulting in more juvenile sharks being found in the Gulf of California. Each new generation of young sharks brings more hunting opportunities for the whales.

But the researchers note that their video is just observational. Next, the team plans to survey the pod’s diet to determine how often they hunt and what percentage of their diet consists of white sharks.