In a remarkable display of predatory skills, a solitary killer whale, or orca, was captured on camera hunting and killing a great white shark in an astonishing attack off the coast of South Africa. The footage has left scientists astounded, describing the encounter as unprecedented.
The encounter occurred in 2023 but has only recently been made public. In the footage, the male orca swiftly takes down the shark and consumes its liver, all within a span of just two minutes. The attack took scientists by surprise, given that previous observations have recorded two orcas working together to hunt and kill sharks, including great whites, off the South African coast.
Dr. Alison Towner, a shark biologist from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, expressed her astonishment, saying, “But this caught us off guard.” She has been studying killer whales for several years and, along with her colleagues, published a detailed account of their new observations in the African Journal of Marine Science.
The 2022 drone footage initially captured two male orcas, dubbed Port and Starboard due to their distinctive bent dorsal fins, hunting great white sharks together. The scientists noted that these orcas displayed a preference for extracting and consuming the sharks’ livers. During the attacks, the sharks would desperately circle the killer whales in an attempt to avoid predation.
In this recent attack, however, Starboard hunted alone. The orca seized the left pectoral fin of a 2.5-meter juvenile shark, thrusting forward multiple times before ultimately eviscerating it. Dr. Luke Rendell, a marine mammal scientist from the University of St Andrews, described the observation as “really beautiful” and emphasized the skill demonstrated by the orca in tackling the shark, ramming it and grabbing its pectoral fin to avoid its formidable jaws.
This discovery raises questions about the possible impact of killer whale behavior on shark populations in the area. While the scientists are unsure of the driving force behind this behavior, they believe that human activities such as climate change and industrial fishing could be placing significant pressures on ocean ecosystems. Additionally, there could be health repercussions for killer whales hunting sharks, including the ingestion of toxins and metals from the shark flesh.
Dr. Towner highlighted the potential repercussions in the balance of apex predators, emphasizing how disruptions could affect other species. For instance, endangered African penguins could face increased predation by Cape fur seals if the seals are not being preyed upon by white sharks.
Although the scientists cannot confirm whether this behavior is entirely new or simply observed for the first time, they are fascinated by each discovery in the interactions between orcas and sharks. Dr. Rendell emphasized the remarkable hunting skills displayed by these animals.
The footage of the isolated orca’s attack on the great white shark serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and intricacies of marine ecosystems. As human activities continue to exert pressures on our oceans, studies like these provide valuable insights into the potential consequences and underline the urgent need for responsible conservation efforts.
Image credit: Greg Sellentin/ Unsplash
