Video: Surprising moment a gang of killer whales paralyse a tiger shark before ripping it to pieces

A brutal gang attack on a tiger shark by killer whales has revealed the violence of orcas in all its gruesome detail.

The footage, which is believed to be a world-first, shows three killer whales working as a team to force the panicked shark to the surface.

The gang wear the shark down and take opportunistic bites at its fins, until a large bull moves in to deliver the death blow, flipping the shark on to its back in the process.

This creates a state of paralysis known as ‘tonic immobility’. The pod then takes turns at eating and stripping the 7ft (2.1 metres) shark down to its bare bones before disappearing back into the ocean.

The brutal footage was captured off the coast of Costa Rica by underwater photographer Caroline Power and British marine biologist Nicholas Bach.

Ms Power, 26, who filmed the footage from a dive boat, said: ‘I have been lucky enough to witness some amazing things in and on the ocean – but this was unbelievable.

‘I believe this is the first time orcas hunting tiger sharks have been documented – we were all fairly awestruck.

‘After the orcas had left we all just kind of stood in the boat, staring at the ocean, contemplating what we had seen.

‘The tiger shark is the top predator in those waters, so to see it knocked off the top of the food chain, to see it afraid, to see it fight for its life and lose was pretty incredible.’

KILLER WHALES V TIGER SHARKS 

Killer whale

Size: Males can reach lengths of 32 ft (9.6 metres) and weigh up to 9 tonnes.

Females can reach 23ft (8.2 m) in length and weigh up to 4 tons.

Speed: They swim at speeds of 3 to 4 mph (5 to 6.4 kph) but can reach speeds of up to 30 mph (48 kph).

Tiger shark 

Size: Tiger male tiger shark can grow up to 15ft (4.5 m).

Females are larger, and exceptionally big ones can reportedly measure over 16ft (5 metres). They can weigh up to 1 ton.

Speed: Tiger sharks swim at an average speed of 2.4 mph (3.85 kph).