Where possible, baleen whales steer clear of orcas. A pack of hungry orcas can tear a whale to pieces, but they are choosy about the pieces they eat - just the skin, the blubber, the dorsal fin, the tongue, and the flesh of the lower jaw.
Along the coast of southern California packs of orcas lie in wait for the arrival of the gray whales each year, preying on calves and juveniles rather than adults. An adult minke whale that got into difficulties in shallow waters was 'drowned' by an orca stopping its blowhole and then ripping it apart. On another occasion, this time off the southern coast of Alaska, orcas were seen molesting a pair of humpback whales. At first, the biologist watching the scene thought the humpbacks were chasing a group of orcas. Then he realized that the humpbacks were twisting and turning in the water and being attacked from behind by a second group of orcas, who were taking bites at their bellies.