Great White Sharks Are Being Scared From Their Habitat by Just 2 Predators

[marmar]

Great White Sharks Are Being Scared From Their Habitat by Just 2 Predators

NATURE
20 January 2023
ByMICHELLE STARR





There is no sea creature whose name inspires terror – rightly or wrongly – as much as the great white shark.

With its sleek body optimized for hunting, its sharp teeth, and its (somewhat undeserved) reputation for enjoying human flesh, the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) is widely regarded as one of the ocean's top predators.

And that's true, it is – but there's something even the great white fears.

Since 2017, scientists have documented that the sharks have made themselves extremely scarce off the coast of South Africa, where they usually congregate. Initially, the strange disappearance was blamed on human activity, such as overfishing.

But research has confirmed in detail the true culprit: a pair of orcas (Orcinus orca), hunting the sharks and slurping out their delicious, nutritious, vitamin-rich livers.



Once upon a time, the fishing town of Gansbaai on the South African coast was something of a mecca for shark-spotters – so heavily populated with the predators that nearby Dyer Island is considered the great white shark capital of the world.

Over the last few years, however, the sharks' presence has been diminishing. ...........(more)

https://www.sciencealert.com/great-white-sharks-are-being-scared-from-their-habitat-by-just-2-predators

[CatWoman]

1. Orcas

the bad asses of the oceans

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. I thought they were going to say cats.

[Carlitos Brigante]

3. .

[dmr]

5. That kitty made a nervous wreck out of me.

She got lucky the gator turned away.

Why didn't the person with the camera intervene? I mean, I would've made noises and thrown something to break the stand-off. Videoing the two wouldn't have even entered my mind.

[Carlitos Brigante]

6. Same reaction I had back in the day when I came across it. "Hey that cat's

real cool and all..... but how about helping out instead? ".

[I_UndergroundPanther]

10. Same here

But it shows how bold cats can be.

If Othello tried to fight a gator I would have risked going to grab him away from danger.
It makes me mad some people don't give a crap about cats lives.

Anyway the idiot filmed it.
Cats are fearless tho.
And believe it or not very protective of thier homes and cat parents.

My sister came over when I was not home when I had a different cat years ago and she said he stalked her and growled and hissed at her. She had to leave the letter and get out fast because the cat scared her with his protectiveness . Cats have been known to attack intruders in thier home.

[Disaffected]

4. Charming.

I wonder how many of those cats wound up injured or dead because someone couldn't resist taking a video of it.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

11. I dont know

But would I go get my cat if he chased away a bear? Maybe if this was closer to my house I would snatch him and run back inside but bears can outrun me.
Would I have filmed it,No I would have been freaking out trying to get Othello away from that bear and not get attacked.

[Disaffected]

13. As would I.

I happened to have a somewhat similar situation where my cat spotted through the window two v large stray Rottweilers on the front lawn. I opened the door to get a better look and maybe help get them back to their owner (they looked friendly enough) when to my horror the cat tore out the door towards the dogs.

The dogs both ran like scared chickens and I never saw them again but I guess they broke out and were just having a romp in the neighbourhood. Anyhow, taking a video rather than retrieving the cat would have been about the last thing I'd have done.

[Woodwizard]

7. My cat chester chases deer in our yard.

Our neighbors dog got in his face it won't go near him now he is a big framed 16 LB cat. He is the sweetest with people though, the vet loves him.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

12. Cats are no bullshit.

Its amazing how many animals fear an angry protective cat. Glad us cat parents can hang out with cats we love and not be intimidated.

[Elessar Zappa]

14. There's a video online somewhere

of one single cat scaring off an entire pack of coyotes.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

9. Wild orcas are cool, and don't attack humans.

Go orcas!

[leftyladyfrommo]

15. Orcas have been attacking fishing boats.

I read that they think they are young males that get upset by the engines.

It's really dangerous because the orcas are big enough to be a real threat.

[Brother Buzz]

16. Killer whale presence leads to white shark desertion of Farallon Island feeding grounds

https://www.pointblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019_pubbrief_SharksOrcasFarallones_JorgensenTietsEtAl.pdf

Along the California Coast,
white sharks and killer whales
are top marine predators.
These two species occasionally
come into contact with one
another, but these interactions
mostly go unnoticed by
humans.

On 4 October 1997, Point Blue
Farallon Island biologists
documented a pair of killer
whale females that attacked
and consumed a white shark,
the first time this had been
documented. Only two shark
predations on pinnipeds were
noted for the remainder of the
season, a decline of 95%
compared to previous years. It
was a mystery, though, where
the sharks went