Great white shark is on the menu for hungry killer whales
- 7 years ago
GANSBAAI, SOUTH AFRICA — Three great white shark carcasses washed ashore in South Africa in just one month in the first half of the year, suggesting that one of the ocean’s most feared predators is also being hunted.
Orca whale bites were found on the shark carcasses, which were also missing organs including the liver, Hakai Magazine reported.
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust said the livers were removed with almost surgical precision, offering new theories relating to the hunting behaviors and capabilities of killer whales.
Great white sharks traverse the ocean as solitary creatures, but orca whales are often known to hunt as a pod.
Orcas use their powerful tails to create strong underwater currents from below, forcing unsuspecting great whites to the surface.
Once the shark is in position, the killer whale stuns its prey, flipping it over. It then lifts its tail out of the water and swings down with tremendous force, unleashing a fatal blow similar to a karate chop.
The great white shark’s liver holds a high concentration of squalene, a steroid- and hormone-producing compound attractive to killer whales.
Scientists believe the whales may be relaying the hunting strategy among their pod.
The researchers think the sharks may be of interest to the orcas because their typical food sources are diminishing from pollution and climate change.
Only four great white shark carcasses washed ashore in South Africa in the five years prior to these findings, Newsweek reported.
Orca whale bites were found on the shark carcasses, which were also missing organs including the liver, Hakai Magazine reported.
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust said the livers were removed with almost surgical precision, offering new theories relating to the hunting behaviors and capabilities of killer whales.
Great white sharks traverse the ocean as solitary creatures, but orca whales are often known to hunt as a pod.
Orcas use their powerful tails to create strong underwater currents from below, forcing unsuspecting great whites to the surface.
Once the shark is in position, the killer whale stuns its prey, flipping it over. It then lifts its tail out of the water and swings down with tremendous force, unleashing a fatal blow similar to a karate chop.
The great white shark’s liver holds a high concentration of squalene, a steroid- and hormone-producing compound attractive to killer whales.
Scientists believe the whales may be relaying the hunting strategy among their pod.
The researchers think the sharks may be of interest to the orcas because their typical food sources are diminishing from pollution and climate change.
Only four great white shark carcasses washed ashore in South Africa in the five years prior to these findings, Newsweek reported.