Gabriel Tovar / Unsplash
A pair of orca roaming the ocean near Cape Town developed the taste of the great white shark liver.
Two orca that developed the taste of the great white shark organs sent a fleeing sea apex predator and changed the entire marine ecosystem of South Africa.
The Gunsbay coast, about 100 km east of Cape Town, is famous for its regular sightings of great white sharks, and the shark cage diving tourism industry, which benefits from its presence, flourished.
But things have calmed down after four great white sharks were launched on the beach in 2017 with “holes with big gaps.”
The underside of the sharks was torn and their huge oily liver was torn.
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According to a new study published in the African Journal of Marine Science, which was peer-reviewed Wednesday, four other corpses were subsequently washed away, all with the same trademark wounds.
This study suggested that the similarity of damage could be explained by a hypothesis that suggests that a pair of killer whales are looking for the liver, and in some cases the heart.
Alison Towner, a biologist and lead author of the study at the Dier Island Conservation Trust, told ScienceDaily that instead of confronting orca, great white shark populations essentially fled the area.
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Great White Shark: When the orca is aiming for it, it is not such an apex predator.
“But what we seem to witness is a large scale (rather than a fine scale) that reflects what wild dogs are using in Serengeti, Tanzania, in response to the increasing presence of lions. Avoidance strategy.
“The more orca that live frequently in these areas, the longer the great white shark will stay away.”
When the great white shark leaves, the entire ecosystem in the region changes rapidly, which could endanger the endangered penguins at greatest risk, Townner said.
“A new mesopredator called the bronze great white shark, known to be eaten by great white sharks, has emerged in the area. These bronze great white sharks have also been attacked by orca and show their level. Great white shark hunting experience and skill.
“Balance is very important in marine ecosystems … because there are no great white sharks that limit the behavior of cape fur seals, seals are ahead of the endangered African penguins and with the small pelagic fish they eat. You can compete.
“Simply put, this is a hypothesis so far, but the pressure that ecosystems can take is not that great, and the effects of shark extermination by orca can be much more widespread.”
Volunteer marine researcher Scott Tindale captures the moment when a great white shark grabs a camera casing and uses it to drag a boat in Kaipara Harbor in January.
ScienceDaily reported other unpublished data suggesting an increasing presence of orca in the coastal areas of South Africa. Great white shark targeting by pairs can be explained by the fact that something is needed to hunt.
“This change in the behavior of both apex predators may be associated with a decline in prey populations, including fish and sharks,” Towner said.
There is another explanation for the findings. Sea surface temperature can affect whether great white sharks hang out, but this could not fully explain the “rapid and rapid decline” in Guns Bay.
Another factor in the decline may be the accidental fishing of great white sharks, but the local nature of the decline also makes this unlikely.