Orca devours great white shark in ‘surprising’ attack – 03/02/2024 – Science

An orca has been filmed hunting and killing a great white shark in a “surprising” attack.

Scientists said the footage from the episode is “unprecedented” and demonstrates the orcas’ exceptional predatory abilities.

Two orcas off the coast of South Africa have previously been observed working together to hunt and kill sharks, including great whites.

“It took us by surprise,” said shark biologist Alison Towner.

The researcher, who works at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, has been studying these animals for several years.

She and her colleagues published a detailed and macabre description of their new observations in African Journal of Marine Science.

The attack — filmed in 2023, which you can watch here — was, according to scientists, “lonely and fast”.

The male orca killed the shark and consumed its liver — all in less than two minutes.

Scientists have captured drone footage for the first time showing two male orcas working together to hunt great white sharks in 2022.

Next, the researchers reported that the animals, nicknamed Starboard and Port, “demonstrated a predilection for extracting and consuming shark livers.”

During the attacks, the sharks circled tightly around the orcas in a desperate attempt to avoid predation,” Towner recalled.

In this recently reported attack, Porthole hunted alone. Scientists described how the orca grabbed the left pectoral fin of an 8-foot juvenile shark and “lunged forward several times before eventually eviscerating it.”

Marine mammal scientist Luke Rendell of the University of St. Andrews called it “a really beautiful observation” of behavior.

“It’s interesting that it’s just an animal,” he told BBC News, and how much skill she shows in handling the shark — hitting it on the side and grabbing its pectoral fin to keep away from those big, dangerous jaws.

“A great white shark represents a significant food source, so it is not surprising that in some populations [de orcas]where these sharks are found in sufficient numbers, orcas have learned to exploit this opportunity.”

This raises questions about how orca behavior may be affecting shark populations in the region.

Scientists don’t know what is driving this behavior, but Towner told BBC News it was becoming evident that “human activities, such as climate change and industrial fishing, are placing significant pressures on our oceans.”

And there may be health repercussions for orcas that hunt sharks, including ingesting toxins and metals from shark meat.

“Disruptions in the balance of top predators can affect other species as well,” explained Towner.

“Endangered African penguins may face increased predation by Cape fur seals [se as focas-do-cabo não estiverem sendo comidas por] great white sharks.”

Rendell highlighted that there is no way to know whether the behavior is new or just observed for the first time.

“But what really stands out is the ability of these animals as hunters.”

Towner added that each discovery in these interactions [entre orcas e tubarões] it was “fascinating”.