South Africa's serial killer whales, Port and Starboard, are back and hungrier than ever.
For at least five years, a pair of serial killer whales in South Africa has been slaughtering great white sharks and eating their livers. . Now, researchers have shared the world's first video footage of one such orca-on-shark attack.
The new footage, shot during an hour-long hunt via drone and helicopter, reveals that the orca known as Starboard helped several pod-mates attack a great white, then gobbled up several chunks of white meat that appear to be the shark's fatty liver. "This behavior has never been witnessed in detail before, and certainly never from the air," lead study author Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in Gansbaai, South Africa, said in a statement.
On two occasions, an orca hunter slowly approached a great white with the intent to kill; the shark, rather than fleeing, stayed close to the orca and kept it in sight while circling through the water — a defensive strategy that seals and turtles use when evading sharks, according to the researchers. However, the team added, this strategy likely isn't very effective against orcas, who are social animals that hunt in groups.
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