Do Killer Whales Eat Polar Bears

The Killer Whale is also known as Orca is the largest member of the dolphin family. They are also known as one of the top predators of the sea just like wolves on the land. Killer whale’s diet includes a wide range of marine animals like seals, sea lions, whales, fish, squid, and seabirds. Killer whales unlike polar bears are found in both the arctic and the antarctic region. Both the polar bear and the killer whales hunt seals in the arctic, so there is a chance that they might face each other while hunting for the same prey. So you might wonder if these top predators come across each other, Killer Whale being large might kill the polar bear and eat it. So the question here arises Do Killer Whales Eat Polar Bears and has there been any recorded evidence where killer whales might have eaten a polar bear. We have properly researched this topic and found some really interesting information that we would like to share with you.

The answer is “No” if the question “Do killer whales eat polar bears” is asked in the sense that whether polar bears are part of the killer whale diet or not.
Killer whales do not eat polar bears and so they do not go out looking for them and killing them.

Before the global warming phenomenon, the arctic region was covered with ice for most of the year and killer whales rarely visited the arctic in search of food. So there was very little chance of killer whales crossing a polar bear.
But now due to global warming, the ice in the arctic regions is receding at 13.3 percent per decade and killer whales are frequently visiting the north in search of prey. It is just a matter of time before the killer whales might become the top predators of the north.
Since both polar bears and killer whales hunt seals so interaction between these top predators is inevitable shortly.

Recent news suggests that Polar Bears have been scavenging on Bowhead Whales killed by Killer Whales in the north. This is suggesting that polar bears will no more the top predators of the north.

Learn more: What Eats Polar Bear

Do Killer Whales Eat Polar Bears - Polar Bears vs Killer Whale

Killer Whales Vs Polar Bear

Polar Bears have been known for killing Beluga Whales but Killer Whales are almost twice the average size of Beluga whales so there is no chance for a Polar Bear to kill a Killer Whale.
On the other hand Killer Whales being large in size and efficient hunters of most marine animals can easily kill a polar bear in the water.
Moreover, Killer Whales will be very easy to drag a polar bear cub from the ice sheets just like they do with seals.

However, so far there is no evidence that a killer whale has ever killed or eaten a polar bear.
On the other hand, a young polar bear was found in the stomach of a Greenland shark back in 2008 still with no evidence that whether it was killed by the Greenland shark or was just a polar bear carcass.

Do Killer Whales Eat Polar Bears - Polar Bears vs Killer Whale

Killer Whales Eating Habits

Killer whales are top predators in the ocean and hunt the most marine mammals in the world.
They have the most diverse diet but prey on specific marine animals in specific habitats i.e. in some parts of the world they hunt fishes and in some parts they hunt marine mammals but not both fishes and marine mammals.
It has been observed that killer whales prey on about 140 different species of animals which includes 50 species of marine mammals, sharks, whales, rays, leatherback sea turtles, penguins, moose, and sea birds.