2oceansvibe News | South African and international news

Sponsored by RSAWeb rss
2ov Radio
  • Home
  • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Seth Rotherham
  • du Cap Collection
  • Café du Cap
  • Cabine du Cap
  • Media Packs / Advertising
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Anonymous Tips
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
Seth Rotherham
  • SA’s Infamous Killer Whale Pair Ripped Into 17 Sharks In Just One Day

    28 Feb 2023 by Tayla in Animals, Environment, Nature, South Africa, Video
    Related Posts
    • Thursday Morning Spice
    • The Stuff Of Nightmares! Fishermen Caught In Shark Feeding Frenzy [Video]
    • Good News For Those Who Plan On Swimming In Plett These Holidays
    • Plett Shark Attack Victim's Partner Opens Up About That Tragic Morning
    • Surfer Recounts Viral Encounter With Great White Shark [Video]

    [imagesource: Twitter / @UrbanEdgeSharks]

    The local pair of killer whales renowned for their insatiable hunger for shark livers have ripped into a whopping 17 sharks in just one day.

    The infamous orcas, named Port and Starboard by marine conservationists, essentially upended the food chain in Cape Town’s waters, having already decimated the great white shark population in the area.

    Now they’ve apparently moved on to broadnose sevengill sharks, having attacked and killed at least 17 of them within 24 hours on February 24, notes EarthSky.

    The shark carcasses were found washed up on the beach by researchers from the Marine Dynamics academy who have been tracking Port and Starboard’s hunting habits since they arrived in the region in 2015.

    Every single shark had their liver missing, with bites made with surgical precision. A shark’s liver is a highly nutritious organ, one which the orcas devour due to its abundance of a compound called squalene, which is a precursor vital for the production of hormones, experts say, per Daily Mail.

    At least 17 sevengill #sharks have been killed by infamous #killerwhale pair Port & Starboard this week in South Africa. Only the livers were eaten with the leftover carcasses washing ashore [1/3] 📸 @MarineDynamics Christine Wessels pic.twitter.com/PQVk1KI9mF

    — Dr. Alison Kock (@UrbanEdgeSharks) February 24, 2023

    In 2017 and 2019, great white sharks were washing up on the coast with just their livers eaten out of their bodies.

    By 2020, the massive great white shark population in South Africa’s False Bay had all but moved out:

    The ruthless hunting prowess of Port and Starboard off South Africa has allowed researchers to determine that sharks have flight responses as part of a rare study.

    The drama didn’t stop there. In 2017 this pair then started targeting #greatwhitesharks, ultimately resulting in the sharks abandoning established aggregation sites, in work led by @AlisonTowner1 https://t.co/hCfzgdrDFG [3/3] pic.twitter.com/xeyn7MVnJC

    — Dr. Alison Kock (@UrbanEdgeSharks) February 24, 2023

    Only three studies have ever touched on a flight response among sharks, but a paper released in October suggested the widely feared sharks did not return to their natural hunting grounds because they were scared off by an earlier massacre.

    The study’s lead author Alison Towner and her team shared Christiaan Stopforth’s drone footage capturing the killer whales hunting and eating the livers of great white sharks:

    Dr Alison Kock, South African National Parks’ shark expert, said this dynamic had “significant knock-on effects for both the ecosystem and shark-related tourism”.

    It is known that new behaviours spread among killer whales over time through cultural transmission, so it is concerning to consider what would happen to the larger shark population if more orcas adopted a taste for liver along with these incredible hunting practices.

    Just remember, as easy as it might be to demonise the orcas, they’re likely just adapting to the depletion of nutritious food options in the sea, most probably caused by our overfishing habits.

    It’s adapt or die out there, after all.

    [sources:earthsky&dailymail]

    • ← Murdered Hong Kong Socialite’s Head Found In Pot Of Soup
    • “No Further Hope” Doctors Recommend End-Of-Life Decision For Tom Sizemore →
    • Tweet
    • Tags:
    • cape town ocean
    • Great White Shark
    • Great White Sharks
    • killer whale
    • killer whales
    • marine conservation
    • orca
    • orcas
    • port and starboard
    • Sharks

    Latest News

    • Sensual Massages: We Went Searching For A Nuru Massage And Found Something Interesting

      [imagesource:jankopriva] Somewhere in your city, there are people experiencing gratific...

    • Everyone Is Talking About Director Sofia Coppola’s Teen Daughter Going Rogue On TikTok [Video]

      [imagesource:wikimediacommons] There's honestly so much to unpack in this short but inc...

    • Amor Steps Out With Her New Love At Saudi Arabia’s F1 Grand Prix

      [imagesource:facebook/amorvittone] It's been six years since the country shared Amor an...

    • Not Sure What To Think Of This Video Of A Pretoria Security Company Lip-Syncing To Backstreet Boys

      [imagesource:facebook/mi7nationalgroup] Look, the effort is appreciated, the energy is ...

    • Stomach-Turning Video Shows Wrestler Desperately Searching For Water During Fatal Training Session

      [imagesource:twitter/goodmorningamerica] 20-year-old Grant Brace died on 31 August 2020...


    • 2oceansvibe Partners

    • CONTACT US
    • GOT A HOT STORY?
    • 2oceansvibe Radio
    • 2oceansvibe Media
    • Media Pack
    • Seth Rotherham
    • Café du Cap
    • Cabine du Cap
    • Cape Town City Accommodation
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Business
    • Media
    • Entertainment
    • Tech/Sci
    • World
    • Travel
    • Lifestyle
    • Sport
    • Politics
  • Follow

    2oceansvibe.com is part of the 2oceansVibe Media Group

    DMMA Logo