If killer whales kill sharks and other whales, why don't they prey on us?

[DanaPonds]

They've killed and eaten sharks and other whales much bigger and heavier than them. Yet ironically the only isolated cases of a killer whale killing (but not eating it) a person was in captivity when the animal felt abused, away from its home.

There were cases of them aiding people from drowning or from a shark. Or if someone swims near one, they have no interest in us. So if they have the capacity of destroying great white sharks and other whales, why aren't we a prey to them? By logic we should be more scared of them than of sharks yet, they are ok with us.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Most great white shark attacks on humans are investigations (a shark's mouth is its hands), not true predation.

The only times great whites intentionally prey on humans is when we lay on surfboards and our silhouettes end up looking like a seal or sea lion. But even then in most cases they bite once and let go after realizing we aren't what they thought we were (unfortunately that one bite is still likely to be fatal).

Orcas don't tend to investigate that way, and will use their eyes first to determine what something is before trying to pick it up in their mouth. Their teeth also are blunt, spaced apart, and conical, not sharp slicers, and because of how their jaw works they can lightly pick up things.

Whereas sharks tend to cover their eyes with their nictitating membrane while biting, and have a mouth filled with lots of replacable very sharp teeth that extends outward and clamps shut rapidly.

Orcas are also very social creatures, so they are easier to interact with, befriend, and train.

[DanaPonds]

they're indeed very smart creatures, highly intelligent

[QuietRunner]

I love this fact of killer whales dining on the livers of great white sharks

[DanaPonds]

Yeah that's their favorite meal. Ironically they either leave us alone or are friendly. So basically we're allies of the apex predator of the sea... strange.

[QuietRunner]

yes very strange

[TheSpaceGnome]

Only eating the livers would mean they prefer very fatty meals only. Which tracks with their preferences on eating seals, which are also large clumps of fat. Ironically this is also the great white shark's favorite food, so the orcas are competing with great whites, not just preying on them.

[TheSpaceGnome]

It is also likely the great whites on occassion will try to prey on orcas, and their response is to just do it right back.

[DanaPonds]

yeah they are very picky eaters, that seems like high intelligence right there

[FreyaRed]

When you're a hunter there are animals you hunt for food, animals you don't hunt because they aren't good food or are too small or you feel sympathy for them. Third category are competitors, enemies and animals you despise.
For Orcas we fit in category 2. I guess we are likable for them. In rare cases some people fit in category 3 as traitors, especially people who take care of them in seaqariums, oceanariums.. etc.

[DanaPonds]

yeah place an Orca at a seaquarium is like the equivalent of raising a person since their early childhood in a cage, away from people and always locked up. By the time that person is released from the cage as an adult, he/she might go crazy. Similar thing with orcas in captivity.

[NamerOfStars]

Good question! I've heard it's mostly a cultural thing- orcas in pods that are literally starving have been known to toss porpoises around, killing them, but not eating them, even though they'd be totally edible and, again, you and your family are starving.

My theory is that at one point, there was a group of orcas that DID go after humans- and it didn't end well for them. We've wiped out entire species before because they killed one of us; taking down a pod would be far from impossible. Cetaceans are incredibly smart, and are giant-brained smart, like us (as opposed to tiny-brain smart, like corvids and parrots); the idea of "don't kill humans" existing alongside "you don't need to run from humans" is well within their abilities.

There're tales of them cooperating with human hunters during the whaling days; they're kind of like ocean-going wolves.

[Kori1236]

Probably because humans aren’t their natural prey just as we’re not sharks natural prey. Were too boney, not enough fat content and not worth the energy they’d use to kill and eat us

[genericname85]

they do prey on us if they are hungry or feel threatened. i mean same with sharks. they won't usually pray on us. tho they might be curious to see what we are. and they tend to find that out by biting into us, which incidentally kills us xD

[OddBeMe]

I imagine there are more “sharks” in general than orcas. Of varying sizes that can get closer to shore where there are nice juicy surfers.

Either way, did you know refrigerators kill more people than sharks?

[Unit1]

We must be not yummy to them.

[Iron_Man]

They love you and us humans

[DanaPonds]

yeah and they're good at recognizing a specific person too, great memory
Smart creatures

[Iron_Man]

Yes, but my favorite is dolphins

[DanaPonds]

Same. I like pink dolphins the most.

[Iron_Man]

Oh ok

[BoopBoopBeep]

We're too high in sat fat

[ChicoFromThe305]

Maybe they don't like how we taste

[shortster]

We don't live in the ocean.

[MushyKiwi]

real