Movement on the All-Species List Top Ten due to the Killer Whale vs. Great White story down below.
Dog
Elephant
Tiger
Killer Whale
Great White Shark
Octopus
Grizzly Bear
Pig
Giraffe
Crocodile
*Peregrine Falcon was dropped…just had to make way for mighty Orca.
Others knocking on the door…Gorilla, Leopard Seal, Hippo, Wolf, Ocelot, Rhino, Yak, Snow Leopard, Raven, Swift, Polar Bear, Mountain Lion, Beaver and Komodo dragon.
From the Daily Mirror’s Warren Manger: the battle off the coast of South Africa between killer whales and great white sharks.
“For years scientists believed both…were utterly untouchable at the top of the food chain….
“But the bodies of three great whites have washed up on beaches already during May.
“That in itself is rare, but what really shocked scientists was that their livers had been removed with ‘surgical precision.’
“It was the unmistakable calling card of the killer whale, or orca.
“The whales are known as ‘wolves of the sea’ as they hunt in groups and gorge on 200kg of food a day.
“Some pods specialize in hunting one particular species, mastering unique techniques to catch their deadly prey.
“Ingrid Visser, who has studied killer whales for nearly 20 years, said orcas used their powerful tails to create strong underwater currents that forced the sharks to the surface, then stunned them.
“ ‘Once the shark is at the surface, the killer whale pivots and lifts its tail out of the water and comes down on top of it like a karate chop,’ she said.
“The shark’s fatty liver can weigh more than 60kg and is rich in organic chemicals that make it a perfect food source for orca.”
Holy Cape Town!
Alison Towner, a biologist, told the Mirror, “(The orcas) work together and are very coordinated. Two take a pectoral fin in their mouth and pull open a shark together to extract the liver.”
Prior to this recent run of killings, Ms. Towner had seen only two examples of killer whales attacking great whites, and never before around South Africa.
It’s possible the whales are targeting great whites because their other food sources are disappearing.
The only two creatures bigger than killer whales are sperm whales and the giant squid. The two of these are locked in their own battles.
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Meanwhile, ‘Man’ has fallen to No. 367 on the heels of a recent story from the Rapid City Journal, telling the tale of 15 who were indicted for illegally trafficking eagles and other migratory birds. U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler described the operation as a “chop-shop for eagles” in which eagle feathers were stuffed into garbage bags. Talons and beaks were also treated as merchandise.
Seiler said: “There was no cultural sensitivity. There was no spirituality. There was no tradition in the manner in which these defendants handled these birds.”
The eagles were primarily shot. ‘Man’ will never even sniff the Top 100.
The Editor
