If you through that nothing could scare off a 5 metre Great White Shark, think again. It turns out that Killer Whales are living up to their name along the South African coast. Three Great White Sharks have been washed up on shore recently and autopsies show that these huge predatory fish were themselves killed by Killer Whales, or Orcas.
What is most fascinating, though, is that the Orcas targeted the giant sharks in a particular way. It appears that the Orcas bit the sharks in their abdomens, ripping a huge hole, then flipped them over and allowed the oil rich liver to float out of the cavity. The whales would then presumably slurp up this nutritious and rich feast. It is remarkable evidence of the intelligence and cunning of the Orcas that they are using this hunting technique. Shark livers are much larger in proportion to their body size than human livers.
Now, I can imagine that some of you Steemians aren't too sorry that there are fewer Great Whites lurking beneath the waves, safer swimming for your next holiday to SA! Unfortunately, though, the story isn't all that welcome for shark conservation. There are fewer than 1000 individual Great Whites living along the South African coast and their population has not increased despite the fact that they have been a protected species since the 1990s. Great White Sharks play a vitally important ecological role as apex predators in these oceans.
So, on the one hand, this is extremely interesting news and exciting from an Orca perspective...but from the poor Great White Shark perspective a little less so. I hope that these magnificent predators manage to bounce back.