Two orcas, named Port and Starboard, have driven great white sharks out of a South African bay. The orcas have been targeting and killing the sharks, removing their livers with surgical precision. This has led to a collapse of the great white population in the area, with cascading effects on the local ecosystem.
‘Awe-inspiring and harrowing’: how two orcas with a taste for liver decimated the great white shark capital of the world
It was awe-inspiring and harrowing. We watched in stunned silence as he eventually eviscerated the sharkTwo male orcas that had frequented Gansbaai since 2015 were Towner’s immediate suspects. The names given to them by local zoologists were Port and Starboard, labelled for their distinctive dorsal fins, collapsed to the left and right respectively.Towner was certain that Port and Starboard were responsible. “The only element missing was direct observation of an attack,” she says.
If white shark populations were at their previous peak, they might have helped mitigate the rabies situation“It was both awe-inspiring and harrowing. Starboard’s immense power was on full display as he gripped the shark firmly, even while it thrashed around,” Jacobs recalls. “We watched in stunned silence as he eventually eviscerated the shark.”oday, Mossel Bay’s great white sharks have all but disappeared. “Since the 2023 incident, they haven’t returned in any meaningful way,” says Jacobs.
ORCAS GREAT WHITESHARKS SOUTH AFRICA ECOSYSTEM TROPHIC CASCADE
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