A DRONE has captured the dramatic moment a blood thirsty orca carries a tiger shark in its jaws.
The rare moment was captured in 2016 by Slater Moore, who was whale-watching in Monterey Bay, California.
Dramatic footage shows the moment an orca whale carries a tiger shark in its mouth
The viewers chose to deploy the drone after a group of whales began swarming over another creature in the sea.
Aerial footage captures the scene unfolding as one of the orcas grabs the shark in its jaws.
The creature squirms around in the whale’s mouth for a few seconds before hanging lifelessly.
The predator then passes round the carcass for its two young calves to feed on.
Describing the moment, Katlyn Taylor, a marine biologist on the boat at the time, said: “All of a sudden one of them brought it up, brought up the whole shark — and it was still alive, it was squirming around.”
Taylor believes that the shark is a tiger shark and can measure over 5 meters long.
Researcher from the California Whale Project, Alisa Schulman-Janiger, also told GrindTV: “It’s a very rare sighting, and an extraordinary observation.
“I do not think that anyone has drone footage of this prey-sharing, involving very small calves, in California.”
Since the rare footage was first posted on the Slater Moore Photography Facebook group in 2016, it’s been viewed and shared thousands of times.
“It’s always a surprise to see a shark I consider to be the top preparator being devoured by a whale,” said one user reacting to the clip on a Reddit forum.
Another remarked: “Nature is amazing in life and death… the hunter becomes the hunted.”
The clip has resurfaced online as the deadly behaviour of orcas continue to be captured on camera.
Last month, scientists shared the moment a pack of Orca whales tore apart a great white shark, filling the water with blood.
Marine biologists claim the great white was mauled as killer whales continue to force massive sharks out of their natural habitats.
South Africa-based scientist Alison Towner said that researchers now have pretty convincing evidence that back this theory with more footage confirming their long-standing suspicions.
