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Natural Phenomena

Sardine Run

Animal Behavior and Adaptation

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An annual event along South Africa's eastern coastline in which vast shoals of sardines, sometimes stretching many kilometers long, move northward from the cool waters off the Cape toward KwaZulu-Natal, drawing a spectacular feeding frenzy of dolphins, sharks, gannets, seals and whales that has been called one of the greatest marine wildlife gatherings on the planet. The run depends on a narrow band of cold water hugging the coast, and its size and timing vary considerably from year to year with ocean conditions.

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Bait Ball, Natural Phenomena

Bait balls are a hallmark, extensively documented feature of the sardine run, forming as predators drive dense shoals of migrating sardines into tight defensive spheres near the surface.

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