Alison Towner

Researchers studying orcas off the coast of South Africa recently observed one of the whales consuming a great white shark alone, in just two minutes.Forget Collars—There's a Kinder Way to Track Polar Bears in the ArcticSince 2017, two orcas in particular have been wreaking havoc on the great whites off South Africa’s Mossel Bay. Dubbed Port and Starboard (cute!), the apex predators have developed a taste for the massive sharks’ nutrient-rich livers (less cute). Haunting video of the whales actively feeding on a great…

Drone footage captured on May 16 proves what biologists in South Africa have long suspected: a group of killer whales (Orcinus orca) is systematically hunting and killing great white sharks off the coast of the country.Separate observations by a helicopter pilot indicated that two or three great whites were killed by a group of orcas over a 71-minute period. The drone footage shows five killer whales, one of which is Starboard, a male orca previously suspected of killing several great whites alongside an accomplice named…

Towner with a great white shark carcass.Photo: Hennie Otto / Dyer Island Conservation TrustTwo orcas named Port and Starboard seem to have developed a taste for great white sharks. Since 2017, eight great white sharks have washed ashore in South Africa, with signs of having been attacked by orcas. Seven of the sharks—typically apex predators—were missing their livers, and some didn’t have their hearts anymore.The sharks’ wounds, as well as recorded sightings of the two orcas, indicated to a team of researchers that Port…