by Scientists say the implications of an individual hunting whales, rather than a group, could be huge for the local ecosystem
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Stock photos of an orca whale (left) and a great white shark (right)
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Since at least 2017, scientists have observed two killer whales living near South Africa trying to attack and kill great white sharks.
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In a recent article, scientists said that they recently observed one of the orca whales in a pair of sharks hunting a great white shark alone in less than 2 minutes.
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Experts believe this new hunting tactic could be a response to climate change and could affect other ocean species
Scientists have observed an orca whale single-handedly killing a great white shark off the coast of South Africa, and the attack could shed light on how the whale species’ hunting tactics have changed.
Since at least 2017, a pair of orcas in the waters around South Africa have been killing great white sharks for their liver – a nutrient-dense meal for the whales – and leaving the rest of the shark’s body behind. The hunting tactic is driving sharks away from the coastal waters around Cape Town, according to scientists studying the shark-hunting duo.
But this single orca attack, observed by scientists in June 2023 and seen in the African Journal of Marine Science an article published in March showed one of the orcas killing an 8.2 foot shark by itself within two minutes. According to one of the biologists who observed it, the ferocity of the attack was “unprecedented” and “amazing.”
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Speaking to the BBC, Rhodes University shark biologist Dr Alison Towner told the outlet that the male orca, known as Starboard, grabbed the young great white by its fin and “thrust forward several times before He was eventually evicted” to go on his liver.
Newly released video of the attack shows Starboard quickly killing the shark before swimming away with the nutrient-rich liver in its mouth, passing a nearby boat full of tourists.
According to the recent article about the horrific attack on the killer whale, this is the first time an orca has been widely observed hunting and killing a great white shark alone.
This incident also challenges existing theories about the hunting strategies of killer whales, as previous research has led scientists to believe that orcas hunt primarily in groups rather than alone. The killer whale attacks on the sharks involved many orcas – including Starboard’s partner, another male named Port – and took up to two hours, the researchers wrote.
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Dr Luke Rendell, another scientist from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told the BBC that it was not “surprising” that whales had learned to target great white sharks, as orcas could face challenges in finding food due to issues such as climate change and other changes led by humans in their ecosystem.
“A great white shark is a pretty big concentration of food, so it’s not surprising that there are certain populations. [of orcas]where sufficient numbers of these sharks occur, they have learned to take advantage of that,” he said.
“Human activities, such as climate change and industrial fishing, are putting significant pressure on our oceans,” Towner said.
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The scientists behind the recent article on the solo killer whale attack reported their findings for Port and Starboard in 2022. They wrote in the African Journal of Marine Science that they had found at least 8 great white shark kills back to the two. According to the researchers, the hearts and livers of some sharks were removed.
Dr. Primo Micarelli, a biologist at the Center for the Study of Sharks in Italy and the University of Siena, told CNN in a statement that although he saw such a powerful attack “incomprehensible,” he was also concerned about the ecological implications it has for orcas and great whites. sharks.
“Despite my admiration for these predators, I am more concerned about the ecological balance of the coastal sea,” Micarelli told the outlet.
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Orcas are the great white shark’s only predator, other than humans. Killer whales grow up to 30 feet in length and can weigh more than six tons, while great white sharks can reach up to 22 feet in length and weigh around 2.5 tons.
Towner told the BBC that the orcas’ new hunting habits could affect other species, such as African penguins, which could be more at risk from Cape fur seals – as great white sharks tend to hunt the seals.
“These are groundbreaking insights into the predatory behavior of this species,” Towner told CNN. “Perhaps the presence of these killer whales hunting sharks is related to wider ecosystem dynamics. Rapid developments in this phenomenon make it challenging for science to keep up.”
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