Great white sharks are being driven from their hunting grounds as top predators rip out their livers in brutal new attacks

SEVERAL great white sharks have been found dead with their livers brutally ripped out in new horror attacks.

The cruel acts have led to great whites avoiding the South African coast at all costs.

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In 2017, five great white sharks eerily washed ashore with gaping teeth marks and bleeding liver wounds.

The killers are still unknown, but scientists suspect they could be two familiar beasts that roam the bay.

Experts claim the predators have started to enjoy the taste of shark meat, particularly their fatty liver, and could now be at the top of the food chain.

So far in 2023, not a single great white shark has been spotted in False Bay – famous for the iconic view of Seal Island – despite 50 sightings being recorded last year.

The phenomenal discovery was made after researchers noticed that the trackers they placed on the sharks did not register a single one approaching the busy tourist spot.

The fearsome killers are said to be a pair of orcas – port and starboard.

Named for their dorsal fins that droop left and right, the pair have developed a penchant for sharks and now patrol the bay to assert their dominance.

Vital organs such as the liver are rich in oils and fats and are a valuable source of energy for the giant sea creatures.

Marine biologist Alison Towner of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust said: “A study in California showed that great white sharks were attacked by pods of killer whales and driven away from their feeding grounds.”

“This is a complex issue that we want to better understand, but we know that killer whales have regional impacts on white whales, such as those seen in South Africa, California and Australia.”

“Although the presence of killer whales obviously has an impact on great white whales, there are many other factors at play.”

False Bay is the largest bay in South Africa and is just five kilometers from Seal Island, home to 60,000 seals.

Tourists flocked to the bay to try to catch a great white shark foraging for food in its natural habitat.

Holidaymakers could also swim with the large caged animals but will now have to travel to Gansbaai as their long-awaited return continues.

Marian Nieuwoudt, an environmental official from Cape Town, is concerned about the sudden disappearance and what it could mean for other marine life.

They said: “Great white sharks are top predators and we do not know how their absence in False Bay would impact the ecosystem.”

“We remain hopeful that the great whites will return to False Bay and will announce our first sighting when this happens.”

In October, scientists revealed that killer whales had begun behaving in strange, unprecedented ways.

They had begun engaging in countless new aggressive activities such as brutally killing other marine life, leading scientists to believe that they might be getting smarter as a species.

Experts have been trying to figure out why the whales are suddenly adopting worrying new behaviors.

It is believed that whales are able to learn new things quickly due to their complex brains.

Interactions with people could also be a key factor in why they have been caught on video attacking, bullying and brutally killing whatever they want.

There are many killer whales in South Africa and especially Struisbaai, a notorious hunting ground for these animals.

Incredible footage has shown a great white shark swimming through the area covered in nasty wounds and cuts, likely caused by orcas.

Footage from California also shows the clever killers carrying their prey back through the water.

One shows a mammoth orca catching a tiger shark in its jaws as it tries to free itself before being brutally devoured by the baby killer whales.

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