Whale killers on the coast of South Africa: killer whale predation on a humpback whale super-group

In December 2023, a pod of 15–20 killer whales Orcinus orca successfully predated on a likely juvenile (∼10-m long) humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae that was part of a super-group (defined as feeding groups of 20+ individuals close to each other) on the west coast of South Africa. The event was recorded and photographed in detail by researchers from the University of Pretoria from a 6-m-long semi-rigid research vessel. The killer whales exhibited clear predation behaviour, with females and juveniles trying to drown the humpback whale by pressing their bodies on top of it to prevent it from breathing. Roughly one hour later, two additional male killer whales, which had not been active in the predation event up to this point, joined the pod and had a role in the final killing of the humpback whale. The kill occurred underwater and was inferred to have happened as pieces of blubber floated to the surface approximately a minute after the two males joined the pod. As humpback whales recover from whaling, and because super-groups of the species seem to use the west coast of South Africa over multiple months of the year, interactions between humpback whales and killer whales are likely to become more common.