“Astonishing” Footage Shows How Orcas Take Down The Great White Shark In Just 2 Minutes – “A Never-Before-Seen Event”

Witness nature’s drama unfolds as orcas unveil a strategic masterpiece, swiftly overpowering Great White Sharks in a record-breaking two-minute takedown captured for the first time, offering a glimpse into the hidden dynamics of marine ecosystems.

In an unprecedented event off the coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa, marine researchers have documented the first-ever instance of an orca (killer whale) individually consuming a great white shark in a mere two minutes.

Dr. Alison Towner from Rhodes University, leading an international research team, describes the incident as “astonishing predation,” highlighting the remarkable efficiency of the killer whale. The findings, marking a significant breakthrough in marine science, were published recently in the peer-reviewed African Journal of Marine Science.

This groundbreaking observation adds to Dr. Towner and her team’s previous discoveries. In 2022, they revealed in the same journal that a pair of orcas had been actively hunting and killing great white sharks off the South African coast since 2017. Their efforts effectively disrupted the sharks’ natural aggregation sites, reshaping our understanding of predator-prey dynamics in marine ecosystems.

Orcas, known for their cooperative hunting strategies targeting large prey such as sea lions, seals, and even other whales, including sharks, have stunned researchers with a recent discovery. While their usual modus operandi involves teamwork to encircle and attack prey, they have demonstrated individual hunting prowess as well.

“Again, as previously in South Africa, the orcas are exhibiting a strong preference for extracting and consuming the lipid-rich livers of white sharks – a specialized feeding behavior,” explains Dr. Towner, who has studied great white sharks for the last 17 years, learning about their movement patterns through tagging data.

“But what we witnessed was an orca, nicknamed Starboard – due to his collapsed dorsal fin – performing alone to incapacitate and consume a white shark within an astounding two-minute timeframe.

“Starboard was observed preying on a 2.5-meter (8.2 feet) juvenile white shark, later carrying the shark’s liver in its mouth past a boat.

“This sighting revealed evidence of solitary hunting by at least one killer whale, challenging conventional cooperative hunting behaviors known in the region.

“These are groundbreaking insights into the predatory behavior of this species, and our findings significantly contribute to the global understanding of Killer Whale predation dynamics, enhancing knowledge of marine ecosystems and predator-prey relationships.”

During the observed contacts of this event, at least two white sharks were killed, as demonstrated by the finding of another body measuring 3.55 meters (11.6 feet) nearby.

“The study raises critical questions about the impact of killer whale predation on shark populations in South Africa,” Dr. Towner adds. “The displacement of various shark species due to killer whale presence may have implications for mesopredator release and potential trophic changes in the marine ecosystem.”

Co-author Dr. Primo Micarelli, from the Shark Studies Centre and Siena University, was on board the vessel White Shark Africa and remarked: “Over two decades of annual visits to South Africa, I’ve observed the profound impact these killer whales have on the local white shark population. Seeing Starboard carry a white shark’s liver past our vessel is unforgettable.

“Despite my awe for these predators, I’m increasingly concerned about the coastal marine ecology balance”.

In conclusion, Dr. Alison Towner emphasizes that the revelations about killer whales’ behavior offer crucial insights into the adaptability and ecological divergence of mammalian predators.

“The presence of these shark-hunting killer whales possibly ties into broader ecosystem dynamics. Rapid developments in this phenomenon, make it challenging for science to keep pace, prompting us to publish these timely short communications.”

Source:10.2989/1814232X.2024.2311272

Image Credit: Christiaan Stopforth, Drone Fanatics SA