Port and Starboard are the names of two notorious killer whales (orcas) that swim off the coast of South Africa. Their names come from their uncommon collapsed dorsal fins: Port’s bends to the left and Starboard’s bends to the precise. The pair went on a killing spree final week, attacking and killing no less than 17 broadnose sevengill sharks in a single day (February 24, 2023). The whales ate solely the sharks’ livers and left their our bodies to clean up on the seaside.
This pair of male killer whales gained notoriety in 2015, when scuba divers discovered a number of broadnose sevengill sharks useless. Ultimately, researchers fingered killer whales Port and Starboard within the deaths. Then, in 2017 and 2019, nice white sharks have been washing up on the coast with simply their livers eaten out of their our bodies. By 2020, the previously a whole lot of nice white sharks in South Africa’s False Bay had almost all moved out of the realm. However, as proved final week at Pearly Seashore, two hours east of False Bay, Port and Starboard are nonetheless at it.
Alison Kock, a marine biologist in Cape City, South Africa, shared the information on Twitter.
Not less than 17 sevengill #sharks have been killed by notorious #killerwhale pair Port & Starboard this week in South Africa. Solely the livers have been eaten with the leftover carcasses washing ashore [1/3] ? @MarineDynamics Christine Wessels pic.twitter.com/PQVk1KI9mF
— Dr. Alison Kock (@UrbanEdgeSharks) February 24, 2023
Why eat simply their livers?
Repeatedly, the washed-up carcasses of the sharks exhibits that the killer whales are simply targeting the sharks’ livers. The killer whales are biting the sharks between their pectoral fins, yanking out the livers and forsaking the opposite organs. The killer whales should have realized in some unspecified time in the future the place to search out this tasty meal and remembered it, as a result of they go away behind no chew marks on different components of the sharks’ our bodies.
However why the liver? Livers in sharks are massive: They account for as much as a 3rd of a shark’s physique weight. And, they’re wealthy in fats, full of vitamins the whales want.
Video of killer whales looking sharks
Final October, Kock was a part of a group that published the primary proof of orcas killing nice white sharks. Within the paper with lead creator Alison Towner, the group shared photographs from drone footage that captured the killer whales looking and consuming the livers out of nice white sharks. Christiaan Stopforth took the video, which you’ll be able to watch a part of right here:
Killer whales should not a menace to people
Regardless of the grotesque feeding frenzy off the coast of South Africa, killer whales pose no menace to people. In keeping with LiveScience, there isn’t any document of a killer whale within the wild ever killing a human. A killer whale’s food plan usually consists of seals, squid, fish and so forth. People should not on the listing. Though now it seems that sharks are.
However, 4 people have died by the hands of killer whales in captivity. Three of these deaths have been all because of the similar killer whale, Tilikum, or Tilly. Tilly spent most of his life at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The acclaimed documentary Blackfish chronicles the story of Tilly and the three tragic deaths.
Their floppy fins
Why are Port and Starboard’s dorsal fins floppy as a substitute of upright? Simon Elwen at Sea Search answered that query for Shark Spotters at their Facebook page:
Male orcas are famend for having extraordinarily massive, upright dorsal fins … Dorsal fins which are bent over or collapsed are comparatively widespread in orcas which are in captivity, however solely seen hardly ever in wild killer whales. In captivity, it’s thought that the dorsal fins might bend over as a result of the orcas are at all times swimming on the water’s floor, with the fin typically protruding of the water into the air … The fins are comprised of cartilage and are very heavy resulting from their dimension, and so with out the assist of water they’re extra more likely to bend over.
Within the wild, bent dorsal fins are mostly related to damage, reminiscent of an entanglement. Nevertheless, though uncommon, there does seem like some pure prevalence of bent dorsals amongst wild populations … One idea is that it could possibly be food plan associated. And particularly in shark-eating orcas reminiscent of Port & Starboard, it could possibly be that they aren’t consuming sufficient calcium or different important minerals for sturdy dorsal progress. Pollution could possibly be one other doable trigger, particularly as shark-eating orcas are consuming prey which are on the high of the meals chain and so … have increased ranges of pollution than decrease order prey.
These two killer whales, anyway, are actually residing as much as their identify.
Backside line: The killer whales Port and Starboard killed 17 broadnose sevengill sharks in a single day off the coast of South Africa, eating on their livers after which letting the our bodies wash ashore.
