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9Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Brad Witt, Former President Trump, Henry Heimuller, Joe Biden, Pat Robertson, Ted Cruz, Joe Biden’s dogs, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Bill’s Standard Disclaimer
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Sometimes a deadly predator, sometimes a playful and inquisitive fun loving whale.
Serial Killer Whales
Serial Killers thought to be only in humans, was wrong. Evidence show there is a pair of Orcas, which are twin brothers and are on a killing spree. These Orcas are very active in their killing. The pair of killer whales has embarked on yet another killing spree, eating the livers of 19 broad nose seven gill sharks and leaving their carcasses to wash ashore off the coast of Pearly Beach, a village located along the southernmost tip of South Africa. The notorious duo of male orcas are named Port and Starboard. This isn't the first time the orca duo has inflicted havoc in this area. In 2017, the pair slaughtered at least eight great white sharks. And in all but one instance they dined solely on the sharks' livers, leaving the rest of their bodies to rot. The first dead great white shark that washed ashore was a 16-foot-long female that weighed more than 2,400 lbs. This shark was found in Gansbaai, a town on the South African coast, on May 3, 2017. The second shark, an 11-foot-long male shark, was also found along the shore in Franskraal, a village on the South African coast. This shark was missing both its heart and its liver. It was found on May 4, 2017. The third shark that washed ashore was a 15-foot-long male shark. It was found on May 5, 2017, in Struisbaai, South Africa. The shark had an open wound under its left pectoral, which exposed its inner body cavity. As with the other sharks, its liver was missing. The liver is often a choice meal because it is a nutrient- and fat-filled organ. Orcas are very smart, they teach their off spring how to adapt to food source surroundings for example the orcs who torpedo themselves up on dry land to catch seals and then back back into the water perfectly times so they do not get stranded. They learn by experience when first predating a new food source, once the orcas were aware of the liver's location on a shark they will remember it forever and become more efficient hunters and again passing it on too other orcas in their pod. Shark livers are "highly nutritious and have large quantities of fats and vitamins. "Orcas have learned that consuming shark livers provides high energy and nutrients. Shark livers are large and buoyant, and they float to the surface of the water when a shark is killed. This makes them easy for orcas to spot and get, compared to other organs that sink and are harder to find. Orcas like to get food easily just like all creatures if the option is there. Orcas like to hunt in pairs, One orca may distract the shark while another goes in for the kill, this gives them the advantage over their prey. This hunting tactic requires great intelligence and social teamwork among the orcas. The orcas may also use their large tails to slap and disable sharks or flip them over to induce tonic immobility. Tonic immobility occurs when a shark is flipped upside down and goes into a trance-like state. This type of hunting has been documented in South America, North America, Australia and New Zealand. But it wasn't until fairly recently that these attacks were becoming more commonplace amongst sevengill and great whites in South Africa. And the fact that so many sharks died on a single day raises concern. The number of sharks killed in one day is really high, but what is more important the real impact is not on the number of sevengills killed but on how the sharks respond to predation risk by leaving an area, sometimes abandoning feeding sites. The absence of these top predators could have bad impacts on the local ecosystem. Orca’s can also be childlike. Orcas have been snapping the rudders off boats in European countries. The odd encounters has spanned from the coasts of Portugal and Spain up to France. No one has been injured or killed, but the orcas have damaged several boats. More than one pod of orcas have picked up the behavior. Orcas are social animals and do sometimes pick up behaviors from one another in a way that strongly resembles human fads. In 1987, for example, orcas in the Puget Sound began wearing dead salmon like hats. One female orca started the trend, and it went viral, and a challenge that went through two other pods. After about six weeks, the orcas stopped putting salmon on their heads; a few tried to bring the trend back the next summer, but the fad was done. So life as usual, they wait until someone tries something new. Orcas in the Pacific have recently taken to playing with crab pots, just for fun. They are highly intelligent and do not like to be bored. Somewhat like human children, playing pranks until they grow up a bit then it stops. Some believe the Orcas like the feel of the water being pushed through the propellers. And they like moving parts that’s why if the propeller isn’t moving they break it. They are throwing a fit.
Tammy
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