- The 60-year-old orca was seen crashing into a great white shark.
- Orcas are normally pack animals that hunt in pods.
- But climate change may be changing their behaviors.
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This is the moment a killer whale took down a great white shark in a pitched battle in the sea around South Africa.
The footage, captured by National Geographic as part of the ‘Queens’ series, shows a 60-year-old grandma orca named Sophie punching a great white shark off the coast of South Africa.
“Orcas are very intelligent animals, very powerful, and in some cases probably even more powerful than a great white shark,” Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology, told ABC News.
But orcas are typically pack animals and prefer to hunt and live in small family groups known as pods.
‘I think what we’re seeing is probably an anomaly. “We often think that white sharks are the main predator in the ocean, when in fact killer whales are,” the professor added.
The footage, captured by National Geographic as part of the ‘Queens’ series, shows a 60-year-old grandmother orca named Sophie punching a great white shark.
Orcas are normally pack animals.
Despite their tendency to hunt and live in pods, orcas’ behavior has changed noticeably in recent years. Many scientists believe that climate change is forcing marine mammals to change their behaviors to adapt.
Earlier this month, another orca was seen killing and eating a great white shark in just two minutes.
The orca, a male named ‘Starboard’, was seen by tourists tearing apart a great white shark.
Dr Alison Towner, from Rhodes University, led an international research team into the discovery by analyzing images captured by tourists on a nearby boat.
She said: “What we witnessed was an orca, nicknamed Starboard, due to its collapsed dorsal fin, acting alone to incapacitate and consume a great white shark in a staggering two-minute period.
‘Starboard was observed preying on a 2.5 meter (8.2 ft) juvenile white shark, and then carrying the shark’s liver in its mouth past a boat.
‘The analysis of the Starboard images surprised us. We did not know that this species of shark was capable of hunting alone and in such a rapid period of time.
Despite their tendency to hunt and live in pods, orcas’ behavior has changed noticeably in recent years.
Many scientists believe that climate change is forcing marine mammals to change their behaviors to adapt.
“It just shows how competent and skilled he is – a true apex predator.”
During the observed interactions of this event, at least two great white sharks died, as evidenced by the discovery of a second carcass measuring 3.55 meters (11.6 ft) nearby.
Esther Jacobs, of the marine conservation group Keep Fin Alive, witnessed the event firsthand.
She said: “I have worked with great white sharks for many years and, for me, they are always a beautiful and powerful sight to see.”
“Witnessing an orca take down one of these incredible sharks so quickly and efficiently, reducing it to easy prey, was mind-blowing, but heartbreaking.
“White sharks already face enough battles just trying to live in our overfished oceans, let alone lose their place in the food chain.”