The incredible scene of the attack of three orcas on a great white shark that went viral in 2022 continues to add views on social networks. In it, the group of orcas is seen brutally tearing out the liver of a five-meter-long white shark.
From one moment to the next, the blue waters of Mossel Bay in South Africa turn red with blood before the shark sinks and disappears to the bottom of the sea.
The wild story was captured on camera by a drone flying overhead and now gives scientists a better understanding of why these top predators appear to be fleeing this South African region that was once the shark capital of the world.
Orcas have been known to feast on the liver of a great white shark, as the organ is large, fatty, and has become a favorite dish for so-called “killer whales.” . In recent years, at least eight shark carcasses have been recorded that washed up on the Western Cape coast in 2017 and all were missing their livers.
The images in question are part of marine biologist Alison Towner’s work with great white sharks. She shared it on her Instagram profile calling it “one of the most incredible pieces of natural history ever captured on film.” The clip, which is the first to show an orca eating the liver of a great white shark, aired on Discovery’s Shark House.
Great whites normally congregate in the waters around South Africa due to the large population of Cape fur seals, which are the predator’s main food source.
However, there are fewer and fewer white sharks due to attacks by killer whales, the only animal on earth capable of defeating the Great Bank.
Scientists have found evidence that they are cutting sharks open and eating their fatty livers. Scientists speculate that this behavior may be behind the disappearance of great white sharks from the waters of False Bay, off the coast of Cape Town.
Orcas are likely to attack shark livers directly because they are high in fat and delicious. “People do the same thing with butter or bacon. That’s why we love fatty foods. Orcas do the same thing, they find it very tasty,” says Scott Anderson, seasonal researcher at the Aquarium of the Monterey Bay
Adult white sharks weigh between 680 and 1,100 kilos and their liver can reach 90 kilos in weight.
