It's snack time! Drone footage of two killer whales ripping apart baby sharks captured

Image courtesy: Monterey Bay Whale Watch/Facebook

New Delhi: Killer whales are known as fierce predators of the highest order, so it doesn't come as a surprise that they can come up with the choicest of preys.

However, it's a pleasure to spot them when they are within their natural habitats, because they act out of free will and can actually reveal their 'killer' side to you, which is a rare occurrence.

Drone pilot Slater Moore, who was aboard the SeaWolfe II last Tuesday with a whale watch tour group under the company Monterey Bay Whale Watch, captured an amazing footage after he saw two killer whales indulging in a 'snack'.

His curiosity piqued, he decided to fly his drone and find out what was happening. Turns out, that the two adult female killer whales were feasting on two young sharks!

“And all of a sudden one of them brought it up, brought up the whole shark – and it was still alive, it was squirming around,” said marine biologist Katlyn Taylor via The Verge, as per Nature World News.

“They’re kinda tricky animals to study. They hold their breath a long time, they swim really fast, they travel way offshore. That’s part of the fun though, you never know what’s going to happen," Taylor said. She added via Monterey County Weekly that what makes the video unique is its perspective, giving us a glimpse on how offshore killers eat.

The shark calves were identified as sevengill sharks, according to Taylor. These species, according to Shark Sider, is the only common known member of the cowshark family as other members prefer to thrive in deep waters. It can grow as long as 3 meters and 107 kilograms with a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Monterey Bay Whale Watch shared the incredible video on their Facebook page. They wrote: "Offshore Killer Whales today! We encountered these infrequently sighted Killer Whales on the 9:00 am trip aboard the SeaWolf II. This ecotype of Killer Whales often travels in large groups and were seen about this time last December. We saw about 25 individuals and we have footage of them feeding on a Sevengill Shark! These whales are typically smaller in size than the Bigg's or transient Killer Whale type and they had several very young calves with them! Great encounter!”

Check it out below: