Port and Starboard, the two Orcas that are frequently spotted in the False Bay area, are back. They were spotted by the Simonstown Boating Company on two occasions recently – April 26, and April 28.
“The scoundrels, or as some may have it, the celebrities of the orca kingdom – Port and Starboard – paid us a visit,” the Company said in a Facebook post.
The two killer whales are referred to as scoundrels, as many believe the absence of great white sharks in the area can be attributed to their presence in the cool waters of False Bay.
During August 2019, five great white sharks were found dead in the water without their livers. It is believed that orcas seek the livers of great whites as they are rich in the fats and oils that killer whales require for nourishment. Some experts say that they squeeze the sharks like giant tubes of toothpaste and extract the liver.
Usually, killer whales use seals as a main source of food. No one yet knows why Port and Starboard have targeted the sharks of False Bay to be a food source when there are still seals in the area.
More than 50 great white sharks were spotted in the area during 2018, but the numbers have dwindled to nearly zero sightings between 2019 and now.
Picture/s: Dave Hurwitz/Simonstown Boating Company