An orca ripped a great white shark apart and feasted on its liver shortly after the shark had devoured a dolphin, new scientific findings show.
The finding was made in the Eastern Cape of South Africa following a necropsy on a stranded white shark. Although scientists already knew that killer whales were feasting on great whites in the Western Cape, this is the first time it has ever been confirmed in the Eastern Cape, suggesting the orcas are spreading their gruesome hunting method further afield.
Kevin Cole of East London Museum, in collaboration with Alison Towner of Rhodes University, conducted the necropsy. Towner said on Instagram that the shark, an adult male, was reported by local resident George Cotterell at the Nyara River Mouth on May 28.
The examination revealed significant findings. The shark's liver was missing, with only a small piece of tissue remaining, indicating killer whale predation.
Orcas have been found to prefer the liver of great whites. Three peer-reviewed papers have documented killer whales targeting white sharks for their livers in the Western Cape. This behavior was previously unknown for white sharks in the Eastern Cape, marking a significant new observation.
Its stomach also contained remains of a-meter common dolphin, cleanly severed into four pieces. The scientists confirmed it had been devoured not long before the orca attacked the shark.
The shark's heart was intact, and reproductive indicators showed it was a mature male animal.
The raking of a killer whale was also found on the ventral surface of the shark's head.
Muscle tissues and other samples were collected for research on white shark genetics and diet. However, the illegal extraction of the shark's teeth overnight prevented the preservation of the jaw for a museum exhibit. All remains of the shark carcass were buried at a remote site post-necropsy.
Due to the shark's size and remote location, it was moved to the high-water mark to prevent it from washing back out to sea. The full necropsy was performed on the morning of May 29, led by Cole with a team of pre-veterinary volunteers documenting the procedure under Towner's remote supervision.
This incident is the 14th confirmed case of white shark predation by killer whales and the 76th elasmobranch preyed upon by killer whales in South Africa since 2015.
Scientists have not observed orca predation on great white sharks in any other area of the world. It seems unique to an orca population in South Africa.
In fact, two orcas, Port and Starboard, are thought to be responsible. They have been carrying out attacks off the coast of South Africa for several years.
Despite the challenges of documenting such events, the research team remains committed to studying these interactions to understand the dynamics of predator-prey relationships in marine ecosystems. The collected samples will contribute to ongoing research on white shark genetics and diet, providing valuable insights into the species' behavior and interactions with other apex predators.
The findings from this necropsy add to the growing body of evidence that killer whales are increasingly targeting white sharks along South Africa's coast, with implications for both species' populations and the broader marine ecosystem.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
