The population of white sharks has decreased considerably in South African waters due to pressure from killer whalesGetty Images
Since 2016 almost a dozen great white sharks have been found without liver or heart
South African oceanographers have linked these deaths to the sighting of a particularly bloodthirsty pair of killer whales.
Killer whales seek the large, fatty liver of great white sharks to improve their diet
A orca couple is starring in a cruel slaughter of fearsome white sharks on the coasts that bathe South Africa. Cetaceans attack with a viciousness and cruelty previously unknown devouring their livers and their hearts. The mangled bodies of the sharks appear stranded on the beaches of the country with destroyed organs and a body full of brutal teeth, according to a study in the African Journal of Marine Science
The pressure of this fearsome pair of killer whales, in English they are known as killer whaleshas forced white sharks to migrate from these waters moving away from fishing grounds that have always been theirs.
The first cases detected start between 2016 and 2017 astonishing the researchers despite the fact that they are used to the killer whales attacking all kinds of marine animals. But this is the first time that the aggressions of these mammals cause such a significant change in the ecosystem of these coasts.
White sharks flee from killer whales to other less dangerous waters for them
The monitoring of the sharks is what has given the alert signal since it has been verified that avoid certain areas where they used to live and hunt. It is what specialists call a “large-scale evasion strategy”a behavior already observed on land when the packs of wild dogs modify their territory before the presence of more lions in its territory.
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The scientific report indicates that when this pair of male killer whales nicknamed port and starboard appeared in front of Gansbaai shoresa coastal town 120 km from Cape Town, the great white shark of up to 5 meters in length Y seven rows of sharp fangs ceased to be sighted until days later it appeared brutally devoured on the sand of a nearby beach.
The study reports that between 2016 and 2017 five other great white sharks They were found dead as a result of orca attacks. Oceanographers fear that the final number of sharks killed by killer whaless be much older since only a small part is thrown by the waves to the beaches of South Africa.
For the specialists, the orcas would be trying to improve your diet eating the liver of white sharks since it is large and provides a large amount of fat and nutrients.
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