A lone orca killed a great white in less than two minutes. Scientists say it could signal an ecological shift
- A lone orca rapidly killed a juvenile great white shark off the coast of South Africa in just two minutes.
- The pair of orcas, named Port and Starboard, have been known for gruesome attacks on sharks, targeting their liver for its energy and nutrients.
- Scientists' findings, published in the African Journal of Marine Science, highlight the potential risk of great white sharks being displaced from coastal sites by orcas.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Stunning for some, horrifying for others, the footage was created off the Mossel Bay in South Africa. Scientists managed to capture with lenses a lone orca that attacked, killed and devoured the liver of a 2.5-meter white shark. The entire hunt lasted only two minutes, leaving observers completely stunned. Scientists say this is the first of its kind to show the exceptional predatory abilities of killer whales.
They are known as wolves of the seas and prefer to hunt in groups: A male orca recently took on a young shark all alone. In doing so, he was primarily targeting one organ.
Off South Africa, researchers have observed for the first time how a single orca killed a great white shark — in just two minutes. This shows that orcas don't have to hunt in packs to kill one of the biggest predators in the world. Marine biologist Alison Towner from Rhodes University in South Africa spoke of “groundbreaking insights” into the hunting behavior of orcas. Orcas, also known as sword or killer whales, usually hunt in groups to hunt …
Killer whales have been fishing off the coast of South Africa, which have developed a whole gourmet taste.
The cameras of the Rhodes University mission in Grahamstown have documented the attack, which according to scientists is an 'unprecedented' event
The male who starred in the moment used to hunt in pairs. Now, fast and effective, it caught scientists by surprise with something “impressive”: it hunted and ate the white shark alone in two minutes.
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