Research Team "First Discovery of Great White Shark Solo Hunting"
Stress Caused by Humans... "Signal of Ecosystem Change"
A killer whale was captured hunting a great white shark, the ocean ecosystem's top predator, in just two minutes. Experts are concerned that this could be a sign of changes in the ecosystem.
According to a report by the US CNN, a research team led by Dr. Allison Thorner of Rhodes University in South Africa studied this case and published their findings on the 1st (local time) in the international academic journal African Journal of Marine Science.
According to the paper published by the research team, in June last year, near Seal Island close to Cape Town, South Africa, about 800 meters offshore, a killer whale named "Starboard" hunted a 2.5-meter, 100 kg great white shark in just two minutes.
The research team explained, "This type of hunting differs from the usual killer whale method, where 2 to 6 individuals surround large prey such as sea lions, seals, or sharks."
Starboard was also spotted in 2015 near Cape Town together with another killer whale called "Port." Initially, Starboard and Port hunted smaller shark species, but from 2017 onwards, they were observed hunting great white sharks together.
However, this time, Starboard hunted alone, while Port was seen acting separately about 100 meters away.
The research team stated, "Although it is not unprecedented for highly intelligent killer whales to hunt large prey individually, this is the first reported case in academia of a killer whale hunting the notoriously fierce ocean predator, the great white shark, alone."
Additionally, the research team explained that the killer whale's hunting of great white sharks could be a signal of changes in the ecosystem.
Dr. Thorner commented on the change in killer whale hunting behavior, saying, "There is no definitive evidence yet, but it is clear that human activities such as climate change and industrial fishing are putting stress on the marine ecosystem," adding, "Concerns are growing about the impact of killer whale predation on coastal ecological balance."
She continued, "Starboard demonstrated remarkable skill and proficiency in hunting sharks." This may indicate that killer whales are adapting to hunt quickly and efficiently alone due to stress from hunting near coasts with many people.
However, the research team added that to take on adult great white sharks, which can grow up to 6.5 meters in length and weigh 2.5 tons, Starboard would need to cooperate with other killer whales in group hunting.
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