Lone killer whale kills and eviscerates great white shark in under 2 minutes in stunning attack

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Scientists have revealed dramatic footage of the second a lone killer whale hunted and ate a great white shark off the coast of South Africa, in the primary documented incident of its type.

Researchers mentioned the “unprecedented” show of predatory prowess unfolded in a matter of simply two minutes, from the second the orca struck the shark on its pectoral fin to the extraction of the fish’s nutrient-rich liver.

The attack occurred off the coast of Mossel Bay in South Africa on 18 June 2023 and concerned a killer whale who has beforehand been noticed by scientists, nicknamed Starboard, attacking a juvenile great white shark.

“The astonishing predation, off the coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa, represents unprecedented habits underscoring the distinctive proficiency of the killer whale,” said Dr Alison Towner from Rhodes University, who led an international research team on the discovery.

While it is not uncommon for orcas to hunt down large animals individually, and there are documented cases of killer whales predating great whites as a group, the Mossel Bay incident is the first time an orca has been recorded killing a great white shark on its own.

It offers insights into the predatory behavior of orcas, suggesting that their hunting strategy of plundering great whites for their livers could be driving sharks away from certain areas along the coast around Cape Town.

The video of Starboard single-handedly hunting down an 8.2ft juvenile great white shark was captured by a tourist boat passing closely at 2pm and the sequence of events was journaled and studied in the African Journal of Marine Science.

Almost an hour after arriving, Starboard appeared near the surface and at around 3pm the researchers and tourists witnessed the male orca grip the left pectoral fin of a shark and “thrust forward with the shark several times before eventually eviscerating it” within less than two minutes, it said.

A few moments later, it again emerged: this time with “a bloody piece of peach-coloured liver in its mouth”.

Starboard’s other male companion, Port, was around 329 feet away from the site of the attack and did not get involved.

“Killer whales, or orcas, usually team up when they hunt, although they can hunt solitarily,” Dr Towne said. “The unusual aspect was witnessing Starboard, the killer whale, hunting a white shark alone and in a remarkably rapid timeframe.”

The duo has been under scientists’ watch since they were seen in drone footage in 2022 working together to hunt down white sharks. Traveling vast distances along South Africa’s japanese shoreline, reaching so far as Namibia, researchers consider they started concentrating on great whites as early as 2015. It wasn’t till 2022 that aerial footage documented the orcas killing a great white shark, based on Towner.

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

“These are groundbreaking insights into the predatory behavior of this species,” she mentioned. “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.”

One of the scientists who witnessed the attack, Dr Primo Micarelli, a co-author of the brand new research from the Shark Studies Centre and Siena University, mentioned: “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,” Mr Micarelli mentioned.

The livers of great whites are huge organs, comprising a few third of their physique mass, and wealthy in lipids. The orcas discard the rest of the carcass, exhibiting selective feeding habits noticed in different carnivores like harbor seals, brown bears, and wolves.