Port & Starboard, The Notorious Orca Pair

Hey everyone, and welcome to the channel! Today, we're diving deep (pun intended) into the fascinating world of orcas, and meeting two very special individuals: Port and Starboard!
These aren't your average orcas. Port and Starboard are a pair of adult male orcas who have become infamous for their unique hunting technique - preying on great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. But what makes them truly stand out is their signature look.
Imagine two orcas, cruising side-by-side. Now, picture one with a dorsal fin that curves dramatically to the left, and the other with a fin that flops to the right. These collapsed fins, resembling the port and starboard sides of a ship (nautical terms for left and right), are what earned them their unforgettable names.
But Port and Starboard are more than just cool nicknames. They belong to a special group of orcas called the "flat-toothed" ecotype, known for their specific diet and behavior.
Let's rewind a bit. Back in 2009, Port and Starboard first appeared near Lüderitz, South Africa. Since then, they've become regulars along the coast, often spotted near Gansbaai, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, and especially in False Bay.
Prior to 2015, orcas in False Bay were known for hunting seals. But things changed dramatically when Port and Starboard arrived. They started targeting a much bigger foe: the great white shark.
The story gets even more intriguing. In 2015, mutilated great white sharks began washing ashore, with one common detail - their livers were missing!
Scientists pieced together the puzzle. Port and Starboard were attacking the sharks with a surprising technique. They'd target the area between the pectoral fins, a vulnerable spot, to gain access to the fatty liver. It's believed they might even induce a trance-like state in the sharks, called tonic immobility, to make the kill safer.
The impact was undeniable. False Bay, once teeming with great whites, saw sightings plummet to almost zero by 2020. This wasn't just a loss for nature enthusiasts. The local economy felt the sting too, with shark cage diving, a major tourist attraction, grinding to a halt.
But Port and Starboard's reign of terror extended beyond great whites. They've been documented hunting copper sharks and even broadnose sevengill sharks, using the same liver-extracting method - a behavior never seen before in this region.
The first-ever filmed footage of an orca attacking a great white came in 2022, when Starboard, alongside other orcas, took down a great white near Mossel Bay. This sent shockwaves through the scientific community, and even scared away other white sharks in the area for weeks.
Just this February, 2023, Port and Starboard went on a rampage, killing a staggering seventeen sevengill sharks in a single day! Their precision targeting of the livers remained their signature move.
While these events are fascinating from a predator-prey perspective, there's concern about the ecological impact. Great whites are apex predators, keeping the seal population in check. Their disappearance could disrupt the entire food chain. Scientists believe a combination of factors, including Port and Starboard's presence, commercial fishing, and climate change, might be driving the great white exodus.
So, are Port and Starboard just rogue orcas, or something more?
Some theories suggest their collapsed fins might indicate they're older males. Perhaps they've switched tactics, finding hunting sharks a more efficient way to go than chasing faster, smarter prey like dolphins and seals.
Dr. Ingrid Visser, a marine biologist, has documented orcas ramming great whites to flip them into a state of tonic immobility, then feasting on the exposed liver. Similar behavior has been observed off the coast of San Francisco, where great whites vanish for months after orcas arrive.
However, some researchers believe Port and Starboard might be more like the "offshore" ecotype of orcas, known to eat both sharks and marine mammals. Unlike previous orcas in False Bay, Port and Starboard seem to have instilled a long-lasting fear in the great white population.
The story of Port and Starboard is far from over. Their unique hunting style and the ecological consequences it brings continue to be studied. As we learn more about these fascinating orcas, one thing is certain: Port and Starboard have cemented their place as unlike any orcas ever seen before.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed learning about these incredible animals, leave a comment below letting me know what you think. And don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel for more exciting dives into the underwater world!
Music Attribution - @liborioconti

[@srinjoyroychoudhury7034]

17 seven gills sharks in one day is insane

[@leonardclay4804]

It's amazing how they understand how to attack the Great White Shark knowing it's a dangerous preditor itself with sharper teeth. One bite from them could be fatal for the Orca.

[@Romulan2469]

It's hardly amazing. Many orcas know about tonic immobility.

[@stacyfrazierbauer8811]

They are so beautiful and their ancestors have had a bad run! I love them❤

[@GoodMorningSouthAfrica]

I love them,such beautiful animals.

[@HanceWilkins]

No, there isn’t good or bad in the ocean. Adding emotions to reality is such a crappy part of humans. Lol, I hate people, especially you.

[@HanceWilkins]

No, there isn’t good or bad in the ocean. Adding emotions to reality is such a crappy part of humans. Lol, I hate people, especially you.

[@HanceWilkins]

You are that lost. You are the one having a bad run thinking it’s good. Perception, the humans fatal flaw.

[@HanceWilkins]

So what’s a good run for orcas??? They gonna switch it up and become vegans?? Because your lack of instincts says so??? Because, that makes you happy?? Are u a trans?? Are your kids?? Lol I hate humans

[@Christ_Is_Life10-10]

They had to learn that hunting technique from a pod. I wonder why they are traveling alone?

[@Romulan2469]

It's a question I have wondered a lot about too. I suspect a few possibilities: 1. The orca pod may have lost its matriarch so the pod fragmented into smaller pods where orcas paired up with close relatives 2. These two male orcas were sick or injured at some point (flopping dorsal fins for male orcas is rare in the wild and can be a sign of stress or disease) so the pod had to abandon them and they had to hunt and survive on their own 3. They had a strong preference for consuming sharks above all other prey items so they left the pod on their own choosing to seek out their chosen prey

[@Christ_Is_Life10-10]

@ at least they have each other. Hopefully they will find a female to start a pod of their own.

[@Romulan2469]

@@Christ_Is_Life10-10 That would be good to see but they don't seem all that interested in finding a female and starting a pod. They just seem to enjoy killing sharks. It occurred to me that this could also be some kind of vengeance, perhaps a shark killed their mate and they are exacting revenge on sharks. What they are doing doesn't seem very rational to me. Most orcas have strong familial bonds, but these ones could be psychologically dealing with trauma.

[@Romulan2469]

@@Christ_Is_Life10-10 A pod of shark killers? 😂

[@Christ_Is_Life10-10]

@Romulan2469 Maybe. At least the beaches would be safer. I wonder if they pass up seals if they had the chance.

[@lesliegrantham7269]

Are these 2 orcas tagged

[@GoodMorningSouthAfrica]

As far as I know, after reseached they're not tagged. They are recognised by their collapse dorsal fins. This why they are called port and starboard. Port and Starboard are a pair of adult male orcas notable for preying on great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.The duo are identified as having rare and distinct collapsed dorsal fins and they are named for the nautical terms, as Port's fin collapses left and Starboard's collapses right. Port and Starboard are part of a distinctive "flat-toothed" ecotype present around South Africa

[@Romulan2469]

@@GoodMorningSouthAfrica I believe they have disrupted the ocean ecosystem in that area. The great white sharks departed and the seal population has grown too big which has then caused a significant reduction in other species they prey upon.