The recent autopsy of a partially devoured large white shark confirms that a brutal hunting trend – killerwalfissen around the world are not afraid to attack the terrifying fish, especially if they get a preference for liver.
Great white sharks are apex predators, but that doesn’t mean they are invincible. In October 2023, the remains of one Carcharodon Carcharias washed In Southeast -Australia, clear evidence of an unknown species shows. The carcass contained four different bite wounds around its bottom, and in particular missed the liver, digestive and reproductive organs. Researchers almost immediately identified their suspect, but hesitated to offer a final answer before they conducted a post -mortem examination.
According to their results, recently published in the magazine Ecology and evolutionThe perpetrator is clear: a murderous whale has killed the more than 15 feet long shark and then started to devour his intestines. Although it was most likely imposed on the nutrient -rich liver, several scavengers also came to the meal.
“Swabs came from bite wounds on the white shark and set for remnant genetic material from the SAAI predator,” Isabella Reeves, study -author’s study and a PhD student at the Southern Shark Ecology Group of Flinders University and the West Australian Cetacean Research Center (Cetrec), said in one correspondence. “We were able to attach the presence of murderous whale -DNA in the primary bite area, while the other three wounds reveal DNA of cleaning up Broadnose Sevengill Sharks.”
The forensic analysis of the wild -witness statements from 2023. Two days before the large whitewashed ashore, several local beachgoers reported murderous whales (including local legends “Bent tip” and “wrinkle”) who were looking for an unknown “big prey” -target in Australia in Australia Bridgewater Bay. But this is not the first time that researchers have documented whales that attack great white sharks.
According to Revers and her colleagues, similar situations of cetaceans “specifically focused on the liver” were previously seen off the coasts of South Africa and California. Although experts theoretized that similar food patterns can also occur in Australia, they immediately missed evidence of the postmortem.
“These findings offer convincing proof of murderous whale -past on white sharks in Australian waters, with a strong indication of selective delivery,” said Reeves. “This suggests that such predation events around the world can be widespread and more common than previously believed.”
At the moment, however, it remains unclear how much these hunting parties can influence the Oceanic ecosystem of Australia.
“We don’t know how often these events took place in Australian waters and therefore how important these findings are,” added Adam Miller, a senior author of the study and ecologist at Cesar Australia.
Given the effects in South Africa and California, it is possible that such attacks have significant wrinkle effects. Miller explained that the current evidence suggests that less large white sharks (regardless of being chased or eaten) “has led to step -by -step shifts in the wider marine ecosystem.”
“We know that white sharks are important regulators of ecosystem structure and functions, so it is very important that we retain these top predators,” he added. “That is why it is important that, where possible, we keep an eye on these types of interactions in Australian waters.”