Gnarly Video Shows Orcas Killing Great White Shark

According to biologists in South Africa, a group of killer whales is killing great white sharks in the ocean.

Two or three great whites were killed by a group of orcas over the course of 71 minutes, according to separate observations by a helicopter pilot. A male orca named Starboard is one of the killer whales shown in the footage.

The orcas are seen chasing, attacking, and eating sharks in Mossel Bay, near the southern tip of South Africa. The analysis of the footage is in the journal Ecology.

According to Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at the Marine Dynamics Academy in South Africa and the study's lead author, this behavior has never been witnessed in detail before.

Eight great white sharks have washed up on the South African coast in the last two years with signs of being attacked by orcas. Seven of the eight fish were missing part of their body. The sharks were missing something.

The great white shark is an apex predator in the ocean and can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh up to 5000 pounds.

Towner told Gizmodo in June that orcas are likely to target great white livers because they are rich in nutrition and can account for up to one third of the sharks' body weight.

After the orcas set up shop, the great whites stopped going to their usual places. The bronze whaler sharks preyed on the larger great whites in their absence.

The desiccated remains of sharks were the main reason for biologists to suspect orca prey.

Two orcas swimming near a great white are pushed to the surface by a third when it comes up from the depths. A cloud of blood fills the water when an orca bites into a fish.

A piece of shark liver is seen floating on the surface before being eaten by Starboard. According to the researchers, the orca attack tactic may be used to open up the sharks to get at their organs.

Two white sharks were killed by killer whales around the same time as a helicopter pilot saw them. The team suspects the same group of orcas was behind the crime.

The team thinks cultural transmission is happening here. Starboard is well-versed in killing great white sharks and may be teaching others how to do the same.

White sharks in the area are running and swimming scared of one another. If the hungry, hungry cetaceans keep at it, the population trends will soon be apparent.

Observations confirm that Orcas feed on blue whales.