- A killer whale was observed hunting and eating the liver of a great white shark on its own.
- Scientists said the incident provided new insight into killer whales’ hunting abilities.
- The ecological impact of shark-hunting killer whales could have implications for commercial fishing and tourism.
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Researchers observed a killer whale kill a great white shark and eat its liver, providing new insights into hunting practices that may portend potential problems for fisheries.
Paper published on Friday African Marine Science Journal detailed this event, which occurred off the coast of South Africa in June 2023.
The researchers observed a male orca known as Starboard approach a juvenile great white, “grasp the shark by the left pectoral fin and thrust the shark forward multiple times before finally removing its internal organs.” said the study, adding: It took less than two minutes to grab the shark’s pectoral fin and remove its internal organs. ”
Immediately after the attack, researchers on another ship took a photo of the starboard ship “with a bloody, pink piece of liver in its mouth,” the paper said.
Starboard has been observed killing great white sharks in the past, but she usually hunts with a male companion named Port. The study said Port was present during the attack but kept his distance, and Starboard acted alone.
Killer whales have been hunting great white sharks off the coast of South Africa for years and eating their livers. Rare drone footage filmed for Discovery Channel’s 2022 Shark Week shows an orca preying on a great white shark.
But solo killer whale attacks were an even rarer phenomenon.
“This sighting reveals evidence of solitary hunting by at least one orca, calling into question the traditional cooperative hunting behavior known in this region,” said the lead researcher. said author Alison Towner, a postdoctoral fellow at Rhodes University. CNN.
In a video post of the incident shared by Earth Legacy FoundationTowner said the predation “represents an unprecedented behavior that confirms the extraordinary abilities of killer whales.”
Researchers say much is still unknown about the impact shark-hunting killer whales have on the larger ecosystem.
In 2022, another study was published. African Marine Science JournalThe paper, of which Towner was the lead author, suggested that great white sharks are fleeing a common gathering spot off the coast of South Africa because of killer whales.
But scientists still don’t know exactly where great white sharks are headed.
“As they move out, they may end up overlapping with large-scale commercial fishing,” Towner told CNN.
A study published in October in the journal Ecological Indicators suggests that some great white sharks have migrated east of areas where they were hunted by killer whales.
The decline of great white sharks in South African waters could also have an impact on tourism, with tourists visiting the region from all over the world to observe the predators.
“I have been visiting South Africa annually for over 20 years and have observed the significant impact that killer whales have on the local great white shark population,” Primo Miccarelli, a marine biologist and study author, told CNN. Told.
“Despite my awe for these predators, I am increasingly concerned about the balance of coastal marine ecosystems,” he added.