Dramatic drone footage has been captured of three nomadic killer whales chasing and ripping apart a great white shark off the coast of Mossel Bay in South Africa. According to marine biologist Alison Towner, this is the first drone footage to capture this extremely rare feral predator. The film, produced in the Shark Week series, will be shown on the Discovery Channel science media channel.
South Africa is one of the most important locations for great white sharks
The waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the Republic of South Africa are home to the largest carnivorous shark alive today, the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) is one of the world’s most important “hotspots”, and there are three “hotspots” of particular interest in the territory of the Western Cape, where great white sharks tend to appear in relatively large numbers on a seasonal basis.
These are the large Vals Bay (False Bay) on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula, Gansbaai located at the eastern entrance to Walker Bay and Mossel Bay, which actually belongs to the Indian Ocean. Shark,
In fact, these large and fearsome predators are extremely rare.
According to estimates of marine biologists who deal with shark research, the number of great white sharks in the world’s ocean may consist of only 3 to 10 thousand individuals. That is why it is considered one of the most important places of its occurrence, along with South Africa, Australia and the United States.
All three hotspots in South Africa are primarily South African bear seals that are densely populated here (Arctocephalus pusillus) is an important prey area for great white sharks due to its colonies.
It has become certain that orcas are destroying white sharks in South Africa
Life was “quiet” for great white sharks in South Africa until 2010, as this species had been under strict protection in the Republic of South Africa since 1991, and here it was not threatened by its only natural enemy, the killer whale.
For the first time in 2010, there was a report
These nomadic dolphins appeared at the entrance to the Great False Bay.
At the time, marine biologists assumed that these were occasional visitors, but in the years since, it can be argued that killer whales began to appear regularly in the waters of False Bay.
In the early 2010s, they did not attack the great white sharks that regularly patrol Seal Island in the Gulf, but only chased the young dolphins.
However, since 2016, a drastic change has occurred around Seal Island.
The number of great white sharks decreased significantly from year to year, and by 2019 they had practically disappeared from the bay.
In the background of the strange phenomenon, according to some experts, dolphins with sword wings (Cheek Orcinus). From 2018, nomadic orcas also appeared near another hot spot, Gansbaii, located about two hundred kilometers east of False Bay.
Here, and then, for the first time, they found compelling evidence that killer whales hunt great white sharks. Many washed up carcasses of great white sharks were found on the shore in the Gansbaai area, which were ravaged by orcas, tearing the livers of the oil-rich predators.
The big question is what will be the future of white sharks in South Africa
By 2022, the nomadic swordfish appeared almost 600 kilometers from False Bay and in the waters of Mossel Bay on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The geographical boundaries of the two large bodies of water, the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, are located here, in the province of the Western Cape, in Cape Agullas.
For the first time, it was possible to find direct evidence, captured on video, near the rocky reefs of the bay, also called Seal Island, which
Those killer whales hunt great white sharks.
In the drone-assisted series of shots, it is apparent how a group of three nomadic killer whales approach a great white shark about nine feet (about 2.8 meters) long.
After closing off the shark’s escape route, one of them, a male, attacked the shark from below and opened its stomach, tore its liver. Big White died almost instantly from the severe injury he sustained.
In terms of their lifestyle, killer whales can be divided into two larger groups, small nomads consisting of 2 and no more than 4-5 individuals, who also migrate over long distances, and large families of only 20-30 individuals. They migrate in specific areas, and are nomads in comparison, leading a sedentary, sedentary lifestyle.
Nomads are the ones who attack almost everything,
From large baleen whales to tooth and fin cetaceans and even great white sharks. Nomads kill some predators exclusively for their members, such as gray or fin whales for their tongues, and great white sharks for their livers.
For now, experts are still confused about the impact of the long-term presence of nomadic killer whales in South Africa on the great white sharks that live here.
