An orca has been observed killing a great white shark alone, which is a behavior that surprised scientists. The orca, named Starboard, typically hunts with another orca near Cape Town, South Africa. The incident was captured on video in Mossel Bay in June 2023. Orcas are known for their teamwork in hunting, making Starboard's solo kill unusual.
An orca, already known for surgically extracting shark livers, has a new trick up its sleeve: killing one of nature’s most lethal predators all by himself. It is the first time scientists have seen an orca take down a great white shark alone. Starboard typically hunts with his relative, Port, near Cape Town, South Africa. The new footage, captured in Mossel Bay in June 2023, shows Starboard killing an eight-foot-long juvenile great white shark and removing its liver in less than two minutes.
The orca then parades past the videographer’s boat, carrying the bloody liver in its mouth. Orcas are known for working together to hunt even the largest prey, so Starboard’s behaviour is unusual, according to Alison Towner, a shark expert at Rhodes University who led a new study published in the African Journal of Marine Science. ‘Starboard’s predation strategy here really surprised us,’ says Towner. ‘Previously, we observed him hunting near others, noting teamwork in securing white sharks and accessing their liver
Orca Great White Shark Predator Hunting Behavior Scientists