MOSSEL BAY (South Africa)- A killer whale has been observed, for the first-ever time, individually consuming a great white shark – and within just two minutes. The new footage shows that orcas do not need to hunt in packs to take down one of the ocean’s most formidable predators.
In the video, the young 2,5m long shark desperately attempts to flee as the orca follows close behind, before disappearing beneath the surface. Shortly after, the orca is seen swimming away carrying a liver in its jaws.
In a study published March 1 in the African Journal of Marine Science, scientists confirmed this case was the first ever record of a lone orca (Orcinus orca) hunting and consuming a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) without the help of its podmates.
“The astonishing predation, off the coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa, represents unprecedented behaviour underscoring the exceptional proficiency of the killer whale”, remarks Dr. Alison Towner from Rhodes University, who led an international research team into the discovery. Their findings will be available for open access until the end of March 2024. Read the paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1…
Earth Legacy Foundation’s Conservation Manager, Esther Jacobs, was one of the witnesses of the predation: “When I saw a white shark’s fin break the surface, I felt that same excitement I always get seeing these beautiful predators, but then came the realisation that Starboard was quickly approaching it. Watching the calculated predation technique from Starboard on my favourite shark species was absolutely devastating, and an incredibly powerful moment.”