Ever since the 1975 movie Jaws, great white sharks have been considered the most fearsome predators in the ocean. But new research published this week shows that may not be the case.

When great whites hunting for seals near the Farallon Islands off San Francisco encountered killer whales, known as orcas, swimming by, they immediately fled, swimming long distances to get away, and didn't return until the following year, according to a study by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Stanford University and Point Blue Conservation Science in Petaluma.

A large great white shark off the shore of Oahu. Credit:AP

"After orcas show up, we don't see a single shark," said Scot Anderson, a white shark expert at the Monterey aquarium.

Great white sharks are amazing hunters. They can grow up to six metres long and weigh more than 1.8 tonnes. But killer whales are even bigger, growing up to 9.1 metres long and weighing 4.53 tonnes or more.