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Tribune News Service

Great white sharks have been mysteriously disappearing from the coast of South Africa, and scientists may now know why.
A new paper published this week in The Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecology shows the first confirmed observation of a group of orcas, also known as killer whales, hunting a great white shark.
The killing was captured on video in May at Hartenbos Beach, South Africa, a statement from the Ecological Society of America said.
“This behaviour has never been witnessed in detail before, and certainly never from the air,” said lead author Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in Gansbaai, South Africa.
This newly observed behaviour could significantly impact the ecosystem and local tourism.
Authors of the paper believe the footage suggests this behaviour of killing great white sharks is spreading among orcas, highly intelligent and social marine mammals that hunt in groups.
Previous studies found orcas spread new behaviours over time through cultural transmission.
Only two killer whales have been previously linked to hunting great white sharks in South Africa, but attacks have never been seen in action.
In the video, five whales circle the shark and eat it. Researchers assume the same group was witnessed by another pilot just prior to the event attacking two sharks in the same area.
A well-known orca called Starboard, who can be seen eating the shark’s liver in the video, has previously been linked to a series of washed-up shark carcasses on South Africa’s beach.
The study provides new insights into how sharks are defending themselves to evade capture by orcas.


The attack caused all but one great white shark in the area to flee for a period of time, according to survey data before after the predation event. Researchers first observed this flight response to killer whales in 2015 and 2017 in False Bay, South Africa.
“The sharks ultimately abandoned former key habitats, which has had significant knock-on effects for both the ecosystem and shark-related tourism,” said South African National Parks’ shark expert and marine biologist, Dr Alison Kock.
The presence of killer whales caused sharks to use evasion strategies that are commonly seen in seals and turtles.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Animals

In a first, detailed video captures orcas hunting great white sharks in South Africa

Orcas were captured on camera killing a great white shark in South Africa. Photo:  Ecological Society of America

Orcas, the ocean’s apex predator, have been known to prey on other shark species, but evidence of attacks on great whites was previously limited. Photo: TNS

Australia fisherman hooks ‘wild looking’ deepwater shark with bulging eyes and a creepy grin

A picture posted to Facebook by Trapman Bermagui of the ‘deep sea rough skin shark’ he said he had caught at 650 metres below the waves. Photo: Facebook / Trapman Bermagui

A picture posted to Facebook by Trapman Bermagui of similar deep sea shark he said another fisherman had caught. Photo: Facebook / Trapman Bermagui

Aw sharks … it’s just a fish? Hong Kong police called in after mistaken sighting of 1.2-metre-long creature in Tuen Mun River

A photo from Facebook of the fin of the fish seen protruding from the water. 

Another photo on Facebook of the sighting. Photo: Facebook

A close-up of an ocean sunfish. Photo: Shutterstock

Thai tourist haven Ko Phi Phi sees return of baby bamboo sharks vital to ecosystem

A baby bamboo shark swimming over a coral reef following its release into the sea in Thailand. Photo: AFP

A bamboo shark on the seabed in Thailand; they are classified as ‘potentially endangered’. Photo: AFP

Fish swimming past corals in the sea off Thailand’s Ko Mah island, one of the idyllic Ko Phi Phi islands. Photo: AFP

Whale sharks tracked using eDNA, and techniques from a forensic crime lab, to solve mysteries of the giant fish in Western Australia where they gather

A whale shark with divers in the Ningaloo Marine Park. Photo: Tourism Western Australia

Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia offers tourists a chance to swim with whale sharks, and is the site of a new research laboratory. Photo: Getty Images

Exmouth is famous for offering tours to swim with whale sharks, so was the ideal place for a research laboratory. Photo: Shutterstock

The promotion of whale shark tours on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Photo: Getty Images

Flourishing Oceans CEO Tony Worby (left) and Andrew Forrest, who funded the Minderoo Foundation Exmouth Research Laboratory. Photo: Blue Media

Cape Range National Park and the Ningaloo Marine Park. Photo: Shutterstock

Irukandji are a group of poisonous jellyfish species, occasionally found on Ningaloo Reef. Photo: Lisa-Ann Gershwin/ AFP

Tourists head out to swim with whale sharks in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Photo: Getty Images

The Minderoo Foundation Exmouth Research Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility. Photo: Blue Media

News

World


Scientists have published new findings confirming that orcas hunt great white sharks
Pod of orcas captured on camera killing one of the world’s largest sea predators



Scientists have published new findings confirming that orcas hunt one of the world’s largest sea predators.


Science

Environment

In a first, detailed video captures orcas hunting great white sharks in South Africa

Scientists have published new findings confirming that orcas hunt great white sharks Pod of orcas captured on camera killing one of the world’s largest sea predators

Scientists have published new findings confirming that orcas hunt great white sharks

Pod of orcas captured on camera killing one of the world’s largest sea predators