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  | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 34°8′10″S18°34′58″E / 34.13611°S 18.58278°E /-34.13611; 18.58278 |
| Administration | |
South Africa | |
Seal Island (formerly known asWitte Klip, meaning "White Rock") is a small land mass located 5.7 kilometres (3.5 miles) off the northern beaches ofFalse Bay, nearCape Town inSouth Africa. The island is so named because of the great number ofCape fur seals that occupy it. It is 5 acres (2.0 hectares) in area and home to 64,000 Cape fur seals,[1] also known as Brown fur seals.[2]
The large population of seals on the island previously attractedgreat white sharks to live in abundance near the island, but their population in the area began to drop in 2010, and they had disappeared from the area by 2018. It is not entirely known why great white sharks disappeared from the area, but it is believed to have been caused by eitherorcas or humans hunting them. The disappearance of great white sharks from the island caused the populations ofbroadnose sevengill sharks and seals to increase, as they lost their primary predator.[3]