Pound for pound, it's one of the biggest and most spectacular hunts in nature.

Three humpback whales with a combined weight of 100 tonnes battle with a pod of five tonne orcas, also known as killer whales, as they try to take a humpback calf.

According to the scientists and crew, this is the first time that the behaviour of orcas attacking a humpback whale calf in tropical waters has been filmed and scientifically recorded first hand.

The humpbacks were filmed cooperatively fighting back against the attacking orcas. Additional "escort" whales came to aid the mother and calf by blocking and charging aggressively to deter the orca. This is the first time that aggressive and combined defensive behaviour on this scale has been documented in humpback whales, according to the team.

The attacks took place off Western Australia’s Ningaloo reef.

The team involved in capturing the images were filming the behaviour for The Hunt, a new BBC / BBC Worldwide / BBC America / CCTV9 / NDR Naturfilm coproduction series, and produced in partnership with the Open University (OU).

Gyrostabilised aerials reveal the scale and detail of the hunt from the air, while the underwater footage reveals never before seen footage of orcas underwater in the action of the hunt.

Click here to read more on the scientific discoveries made from these images.