Port and Starboard , the now ( in)famous orca pair who were previously recorded hunting andkilling great white sharks , have recently killed at least 17 sharks in a undivided day .
The orcas , key out for the directions in which their dorsal fins flop , have been known to feed on various species of sharks in South Africa . In this late William Holman Hunt , they turn their tending to broad nose sevengill shark near Pearly Beach , Gansbaai .
These ancient - looking shark are named for having seven gill slit rather than the typical five slits that are vulgar to other shark species . They typically feed on rays , diminished sharks , and seals and have on uncommon juncture been have it away to attack human race . However , they are plainly generallyrelaxed around diversand are said to be idealistic sharks for photograph and to drown with .
“ We keep the two orcas repeatedly diving down in a small arena for almost two 60 minutes before they departed offshore ” , said Ralph Watson , a research worker with Marine Dynamics Conservation Trust in South Africa , in astatement .
Some days later , the remains of 11 sevengill sharks were retrieve from the same beach by Watson and his team after storms and surge conditions work them to shoring . agree to Alison Towner , Ph.D. candidate at Rhoades University and lead researcher on orcas hunting shark in Gansbaai , “ each seven - lamella shark was torn assailable and missing its liver ; they were all females measuring between 1.6 - 2.3 m [ 5.2 - 7.5 foot ] and had similar injuries to those kill in False Bay by the same orca pair . ”
“ This is the tumid amount of shark these orcas have defeat in this expanse in one session , ” Towner added . “ There could well be more that did n’t wash out . ”
Before 2015 , great white sharks were relatively common in the region , specially in False Bay , where they were famous forbreaching the waterwhen attack seal from below . Yet their number have dwindle away since Port and Starboard bug out hunting there .
Orcas have been known to run on great whites in other places too , especially in California and South Australia . In 2015 , cage divers off the Neptune Islands in South Australiawitnessed a podof orcas attacking a shark in panorama of the boat .
In most subject , the orcas move on from a region once the population of sharks has refuse and the pickings become slight . The situation in South Africa is famous as it is one of the first situation where the soundbox of the dead sharks have washed up on shore where they can be examined .
It is also the first place where such attack have been memorialise bydrone footage , which itself could be grounds that these Orcinus orca are teach others how to hunt these peak predators .
