Direct observation of killer whales preying on white sharks and evidence of a flight response.

Keywords: cultural transmission; ecology of fear; human-wildlife conflict; livelihood impacts; predator-prey interactions EN cultural transmission ecology of fear human-wildlife conflict livelihood impacts predator-prey interactions 1 5 5 01/04/23 20230101 NES 230101 Killer whales ( I Orcinus orca i ) and white sharks ( I Carcharodon carcharias i ) are marine apex predators that shape prey behavior and even entire ecosystems through direct predation effects and indirect fear effects (e.g., Estes et al., [4]; Heithaus et al., [5]). " Predation on a White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) by a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) and a Possible Case of Competitive Displacement." Given the well-documented, predictable year-round presence of white sharks in Mossel Bay (Jewell et al., [7]; Ryklief et al., [13]), the sudden absence of white sharks for several weeks immediately after the predation event supports a flight response by surviving white sharks in the area. [Extracted from the article]