Abstract:
Killer whales and leatherback turtles are infrequently
sighted in the coastal waters of southern
Africa. Year round observations in Walvis Bay,
Namibia of killer whales (2003–2010) by multiple
marine tour operators and opportunistic seasonal
observations of leatherback turtles made during a
cetacean research project in the area (2008–2010)
have been collated. Visits to coastal waters by killer
whales (n = 16) are sporadic and unpredictable
but are slightly higher (n = 11) between late winter
(August) and late summer (March). Leatherback turtles
were only seen in the warmer periods of summer
months (February–March) when the surface waters
exceeded 15°C. Two interactions (one harassment
and one probably predation) between killer whales
and leatherback turtles have been recorded in
Walvis Bay. This is the first report of killer whales
eating leatherback turtles in the South Atlantic.
These observations are noteworthy due to the low
frequency of encounters of both species in the area,
suggesting predation of turtles may be relatively
common. Knowledge of the diet of killer whales is
valuable due to the importance of dietary specialization
in definition of ecotypes of the species.
