Orca vs. Tubarão Branco

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Orca vs. Grande Tubarão Branco: Quem Reinsa Supremo?
Crédito: O YouTube
ainda.
Agora que a Semana do Tubarão da Discovery acabou, provavelmente devemos falar sobre quem o
verdadeiro preditor de ápice do oceano pode ser: a orca, também-sabe ser a baleia assassina, ou o grande
branco.
Apesar da ferocidade que os grandes tubarões brancos são comercializados para exibição, quem venceria se
esses dois se dessem frente a frente? Vamos ao conto da fita, por assim dizer, e ver qual deles sairia por cima.
No canto vermelho: as orcas gigantes
As orcas são, na verdade, os maiores membros da família cetáceo (dolão). Eles são imediatamente
reconhecíveis devido à sua impressionante coloração em preto e branco e dimensões imponentes. Esses
mamíferos marinhos não são apenas inteligentes, mas também são conhecidos por seus complexos padrões
de comunicação e técnicas de caça cooperativa. Cada cápsula de orcas tem um conjunto único de ruídos
comunicativos, permitindo-lhes reconhecer uns aos outros a grandes distâncias.
As baleias assassinas utilizam a ecolocalização como instrumento de comunicação e caça. Esses sons viajam
pela água e, ao encontrar um objeto, refletem de volta, revelando informações cruciais sobre sua localização,
tamanho e forma. Este sofisticado sistema de sonar demonstra sua inteligência e adaptabilidade, tornando-os
formidáveis predadores no domínio subaquático.
No canto azul: o ameaçador Grande Tubarão Branco
Ao contrário, retratos media sensacionalistas há muito retratam o grande tubarão branco (Carcharodon
carcharias) como uma máquina de matar implacável. Como a pesquisa científica expande nossa
compreensão, esta visão simplista está gradualmente sendo substituída por uma mais matizada.
O grande tubarão branco é o maior peixe predador no oceano (lembre-se, a orca é um mamífero), dominando
as águas com seu enorme tamanho e força. Ao contrário da crença convencional, eles desempenham um
papel crucial na manutenção do delicado equilíbrio dos ecossistemas marinhos e não são apenas assassinos
sem sentido.
Grandes tubarões brancos são nadadores em forma de torpedo com caudas poderosas capazes de
impulsioná-los através da água a taxas de até 15 milhas por hora. Sua capacidade de romper a superfície da
água, saltando para fora dela em busca de presas, cativa os espectadores cativados e assustados por
séculos.
https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/great-white-shark-vs-killer-whale.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/average-colors-of-world-map-052353/
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/mammals/killer-whale-dolphin-24102014/
https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/how-orcas-hunt-and-some-surprising-findings/
https://www.zmescience.com/science/killer-whale-grandmothers-boost-survival-of-young-may-explain-menopause/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/fish/goblin-shark-the-oceans-eeriest-intriguing-predator-thats-not-a-goblin/
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/fish/goblin-shark-the-oceans-eeriest-intriguing-predator-thats-not-a-goblin/
https://europe.oceana.org/importance-sharks-0/#:~:text=As%20apex%20predators%2C%20sharks%20play,helping%20to%20ensure%20species%20diversity.
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/fish/types-of-sharks-species-09432/
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Embora, para ser justo, muito disso venha de um certo filme que todos nós já vimos. Steven Spielberg disse
que um de seus maiores arrependimentos foi o dano que Tubarão causou às populações de tubarões.
A Batalha dos Titãs: Grande Branco versus Baleia Assassina
Fator Orcas (Casas de Killer) Grandes tubarões brancos
Identificação e
Habitat
– Maiores cetáceos, coloração em
preto e branco
– Maiores peixes predadores,
nadadores em forma de torpedo
– Encontrado em vários oceanos,
áreas costeiras, latitudes mais altas – Habita águas 53-75oF (12-24oC)
Comportamento
e Comunicação
– Comunicação complexa, ruídos de
vagem únicos
Hierarquia social, exibe para
resolver conflitos
– Ecolocalização para comunicação
e caça
– Exibe violação, spyhopping, e
muito mais
Tamanho &
Força
– Até 32 pés de comprimento,
8.000-12.000 lbs
– Até 21 pés de comprimento,
1.150-1.700 lbs
– Inteligente, adaptável – Enorme tamanho e força
Vida útil
(biagem)
– Feminino: 46-50 anos, Masculino:
30-38 anos
– Previously 25-30 years, potential
up to 73 years
– Females live longer than males
Hunting
Techniques – Cooperative pack predators – Serrated teeth, acute sense of
scent, detect electromagnetic fields
– Varied hunting strategies
Diet
Specialization
– Specialized based on region and
prey – Detects electromagnetic fields
– Fish-eating vs. Mammal-eating
Social Structure – Complex social structure – Hierarchy, displays to assert
authority
– Various actions like breaching, etc.
Predator vs.
Predator – Known to hunt and kill great whites – Sharks fleeing orcas in some
cases
– Instances of orcas killing sharks
Outcome in a
Confrontation – Experts favor orca as superior
As we pit these oceanic titans against one another, several crucial factors emerge. In terms of size, mass, and
velocity, the orca is the superior competitor. The largest orca on record measured 32 feet (10 meters) long,
though most top out at around 26 feet (8 meters). This puts a size advantage over great white sharks, which
can reach lengths up to 21 feet (6.4 meters).
Male orcas can weigh between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds (3,630 to 5,443 kilograms), significantly greater than
the male great white shark’s weight of 1,150 to 1,700 pounds (522 kilograms to 771 kilograms).
Lifespan is another intriguing aspect of comparison. The average lifespan of a great white shark was previously
estimated to be between 25 and 30 years, but new research indicates they could potentially live up to 73 years.
In contrast, the lifespan of orcas is variable, as females live longer than males. A female orca that survives the
first six months has an average life expectancy of 46 to 50 years, whereas a male’s average life expectancy is
between 30 and 38 years.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jaws-steven-spielberg-regrets-decimation-sharks-1235284344/
https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/the-largest-orca-whale/#:~:text=The%20Largest%20Wild%20Orca%20Ever%20Recorded,-What%20is%20this&text=giant%20remains%20unnamed.-,What%20is%20this%3F,largest%20recorded%20Orca%20on%20record.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/great-white-shark
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In terms of hunting prowess, both species are exceptionally well-adapted. Great white sharks have rows of
serrated teeth and an acute sense of scent, allowing them to locate prey from great distances. Additionally, they
can detect an animal’s electromagnetic fields, which aids them in locating concealed prey.
Orcas, on the other hand, are cooperative pack predators who employ sophisticated methods to obtain food.
Orca pods, which can contain up to 40 individuals, exhibit hunting strategies similar to wolf packs. One
interesting thing of note is that an orca’s menu varies depending on the part of the world it hails from.
“Generally speaking, the ones that eat fish do not eat mammals,” Deborah Giles, science and research director
for the non-profit organization Wild Orca, told ZME Science. “The ones that eat mammals don’t eat fish. So
they’re specialized populations worldwide that specialize in the food that was available to them in the past. The
ones that are killing whale calves in California don’t eat fish. They only specialize in whales and other larger
marine mammals. Mammal-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest do not attack whales. They specialize
in porpoises, seals, and sea lions. As populations, they are very specialized hunters.”
Habitat and Social Interactions
Orcas are more versatile in where they can be found than great white sharks, which tend to live in waters with
temperatures rangingfrom 53 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (12 to 24 degrees Celsius). Killer whales, on the other
hand, are found in almost all of the world’s oceans, though they tend to congregate in coastal areas and higher
latitudes.
Both species have fascinating behavioral features that shed light on the various adaptations that they have
developed. Orcas engage in various actions, including tail-slapping, breaching (leaping out of the water), and
https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/great-white-vs-orca.jpg
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/mammals/the-fascinating-and-very-real-story-of-the-dire-wolf/
https://www.wildorca.org/
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/geography/how-many-oceans-are-there-in-the-world/
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spyhopping (lifting their heads above the water to study their surroundings). These activities serve multiple
purposes, including communication, enjoyment, and courting, among others.
Great white sharks, on the other hand, exhibit a complicated social structure in which larger individuals exert
their authority over others of a similar size. They usually use displays rather than engaging in physical conflict
to resolve disagreements, which demonstrates both their intelligence and their social acumen.
The Grand Finale: Orca versus Great White Shark
In a head-to-head contest between these oceanic titans, most experts believe the orca emerges as the superior
competitor.
“An orca wins hands down,” Giles said. “No question.”
This has been proven many times in real-world scenarios. One instance is the South African shark-hunting orca
brothers, Port and Starboard (so named due to the direction their dorsal fins lean). The pair recently went on a
great white killing spree in June. Earlier in the year, they took out 17 broadnose sevengill sharks in a single day.
https://whitesharkocean.com/blogs/sharks/orcas-port-and-starboard-hunt-great-white-sharks-on-the-18th-june-2023
https://earthsky.org/earth/killer-whales-port-and-starboard-17-shark-livers-in-1-day/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadnose_sevengill_shark
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This great white was found on a South African shore in 2017 displaying injuries consistent with an orca
attack. The large male was missing his liver, stomach and testes. Credit: Marine Dynamics. 
 
Another instance occurred off the coast of San Francisco, California off the great white-infested Farallon
Islands. When an orca attacked and killed a great white, sharks fled….pretty much all of them. They weren’t
seen again for at least a month. One tagged shark booked it to Hawaii, some 2,342 miles (3,769 kilometers)
away.
The orca and the great white shark are two titans of the ocean, each with distinctive characteristics and
adaptations. In a direct confrontation, though, the orca is a more formidable predator than the great white shark
due to its size, intelligence, and social dynamics.
Orcas are, without question, at the top of the marine food chain.
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