8 Great White Sharks Took On 2 Orcas — And It Didn't End The Way Anyone Expected

Two orcas. One coastline. And the ocean's most feared predator running for its life. How did two killer whales — Port and Starboard — terrify every great white shark off South Africa into vanishing? This is the true story of the strangest predator shift ever documented. For decades, the coast of South Africa was the most reliable place on Earth to see a great white shark — until the ocean's most feared apex predator simply vanished. The reason wasn't overfishing or warming seas. ______ SOURCES / FURTHER READING - Towner et al. (2022), Ecology — first detailed drone observation of orcas hunting white sharks - Towner et al., African Journal of Marine Science — white shark flight response & first solo predation - Jorgensen et al. (2019), Scientific Reports — white sharks fleeing orcas at the Farallon Islands - Engelbrecht, Kock & O'Riain (2019), Ecosphere — orca predation on sevengill sharks, False Bay - World-first drone footage: Christiaan Stopforth (Drone Fanatics SA) - Research & fieldwork: Alison Towner, Alison Kock (SANParks), Salvador Jorgensen, Simon Elwen (Sea Search). Orcas named by whale-watching operator David Hurwitz. ______ MUSIC 'Artemis' by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au #Orcas #GreatWhiteShark #KillerWhales #Sharks #Ocean #Wildlife #NatureDocumentary #PrimalLens