Abstract
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are cosmopolitan apex predators that interact with numerous species, including sharks, skates, and rays (subclass Elasmobranchii). Interactions between killer whales and elasmobranchs have garnered attention from the scientific community, but the dynamics of these events are poorly understood, as interactions are often challenging to observe. In this study, we collated imagery of interactions between killer whales and elasmobranchs to create the first image-based repository of interspecific interactions between marine predators. A total of 320 photos and videos from 82 unique interactions were collected from 12 countries. A minimum of 18 elasmobranch species across 16 genera were identified from the imagery. Furthermore, 10 different interaction types were documented, encompassing both predatory and non-predatory behavior. This dataset can provide insight into various research topics, including killer whale predation techniques, elasmobranch behavior, and the identification of individual killer whales that specialize in elasmobranch prey. As a new and openly accessible resource, this dataset provides the foundation to support future ecological and behavioral research on killer whale and elasmobranch interactions.
Data availability
The metadata can be accessed in the repository figshare under the following: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30170305. The corresponding imagery files can also be accessed in figshare at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29607845.
Code availability
No custom code was used in the preparation of this dataset.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Playford Trust Foundation and the Australian Government for their scholarship and stipend support for IMR. LM was funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award DE220101409. We thank Anthony Pere, Christophe Baillout, Leigh de Necker, David Glennie, Nick Ingersole, and Adam Slattery for their contributions of images to this work.
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Conceptualization: Emma Luck, Isabella M. Reeves, Lauren Meyer. Investigation: Emma Luck, Isabella M. Reeves, Lauren Meyer. Data curation: Emma Luck. Validation: Emma Luck, Isabella M. Reeves, Stephanie K. Venables, Alison A. Kock, Lauren Meyer. Writing – original draft: Emma Luck, Isabella M. Reeves, Lauren Meyer. Writing – review and editing: Emma Luck, Isabella M. Reeves, Maeva Terrapon, Rebecca Wellard, Stephanie K. Venables, Alison V. Towner, Alison A. Kock, Charlotte Hussain, Molly Altschwager, Rosie Ballard, Evans Baudin, Nancy Black, Evan Brodsky, Jade Cantrall, Julio Cardoso, Matt I. D. Carter, Oliver Clarke, Santiago Diaz-Pazmino, David Donnelly, Georgina Cabayol Ferraz, Arlaine Francisco, Laura González García, Mark Jackman, Aimee Jan, Eric Martin, Dane McDermott, James Moskito, Blair Ranford, Jesús Erick Higuera Rivas, Jasmin O’Brien, Anton Oleynik, Hernán Orellana-Vásquez, Daniela Alarcón Ruales, Gemma Sharp, Jade Sharp, Alisa Schulman-Janiger, Colleen M. Talty, Paul Tixier, John A. Totterdell, Steve Truluck, Jennah Tucker, Tara Weberg, M. Fernanda Urrutia-Osorio, Machi Yoshida, Jochen R. Zaeschmar, Lauren Meyer. Image contribution: Emma Luck, Alison A. Kock, Molly Altschwager, Rosie Ballard, Evans Baudin, Nancy Black, Evan Brodsky, Jade Cantrall, Julio Cardoso, Matt I. D. Carter, Oliver Clarke, Santiago Diaz-Pazmino, David Donnelly, Georgina Cabayol Ferraz, Arlaine Francisco, Laura González García, Mark Jackman, Aimee Jan, Eric Martin, Dane McDermott, James Moskito, Blair Ranford, Jesús Erick Higuera Rivas, Jasmin O’Brien, Anton Oleynik, Hernán Orellana-Vásquez, Daniela Alarcón Ruales, Gemma Sharp, Jade Sharp, Alisa Schulman-Janiger, Colleen M. Talty, Paul Tixier, John A. Totterdell, Steve Truluck, Jennah Tucker, Tara Weberg, M. Fernanda Urrutia-Osorio, Jochen R. Zaeschmar. Supervision: Lauren Meyer. Funding acquisition: Lauren Meyer, Isabella M. Reeves.
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Luck, E., Reeves, I.M., Terrapon, M. et al. A global image-based data repository of killer whale interactions with elasmobranchs. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06740-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06740-3
