From wearing salmon as hats to massaging on rocks, orcas display some playful and interesting behaviours. Recently, in the Gulf of California, a pod of orcas has been seen doing something very interesting: hunting the world’s biggest fish, the whale shark.

Orcas are apex predators, which means they sit at the top of the food chain. They are known to hunt seals, turtles, and some have been seen to hunt great white sharks. But scientists thought that hunting the whale shark might have been too large a prey for the orca. However, juvenile whale sharks are more vulnerable, making them an easier target for the orca pod. “[These] killer whales displayed cooperative and coordinated hunting behaviour which included repeated hitting the whale shark at high speed to stun and immobilise it, manipulating and positioning the shark ventral side up, and biting the shark in the exposed ventral region to allow access to the organs for consumption,” says Erick Higuera Rivas, a marine biologist at Conexiones Terramar (a Mexico-based non-profit). This behaviour left scientists stunned.

The orcas have been documented hunting whale sharks four times in the study done by Conexiones Terramar. “In all events, the whale sharks were observed profusely bleeding from the ventral side of the body,” says Higuera Rivas.

The organ the orcas are after is the liver of the whale shark. The whale shark’s organs provide nutrients that are critical for the orca’s survival. Higuera Rivas says the aorta in the dorsal area, the back of an animal, are protected by muscles, but the same artery in the ventral area, the front of an animal, is not protected by muscles. He says the ventral area is covered by tissue; in an adult, the tissue is about 20cm thick, whereas in a juvenile, the tissue is only about 5cm thick.

Scientists have proof of the orcas hunting whale sharks, but they do not yet have footage of the orcas eating the whale shark’s liver. However, Rivas says that even though scientists have not yet recorded the orcas eating the liver, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. After the whale sharks are killed, they sink to depths where they can’t be filmed.

Whale shark numbers are declining due to climate change, and scientists say that the delicacy of whale shark might soon leave the orca pod. If the whale sharks are scarce, the orca pod may not be able to get the nutrients that they would usually get from the whale shark’s liver. So, not just for this orca pod but for every living thing on Earth, it’s paramount to work together to reduce carbon emissions. Here are three things you can do to reduce carbon emissions: firstly, you can eat less meat and eat more fruit and veggies. Secondly, you can turn off lights that aren’t being used. This will save energy. Third, use your bike or walk to get around.