The study, led by Krista van der Linde of leopardseals.org, found the remains of shark parts in leopard seal droppings. In addition, there are signs of a fight against sharks on the leopard seal’s body. (Read also; Zombie! This Shark Hunted Prey with a Half Torn Body )
“This suggests that marine mammals preyed on sharks, not scavenging for shark remains. We were blown away to learn that shark was on the menu. We also found elephant fish and ghost sharks being hunted by leopard seals,” said Van der Linde, quoted by SINDOnews from theguardian page, Friday (17/12/2021).
It is known that gahaj fish and ghost sharks have large spines to help protect them from predators. So it’s natural that there are wounds on the leopard seals, even the big thorns are still stuck in their faces. “One leopard seal has at least 14 such wounds,” Van der Linde said.
Van der Linde wasn’t sure why the seal was targeting a shark, especially considering how risky it was to hunt a vicious shark. “There may be something nutritious about sharks that is appealing to leopard seals,” he said. (Read also; Protected by Thousands of Tiny Teeth, the Giant Whale Shark Has Armored Eyeballs )
Leopardseals.org was founded by Van der Linde and Ingrid Visser, an orca expert, with the aim of better protecting, educating and researching seals. He has the world’s largest collection of leopard seal droppings, put together by researchers and volunteers who comb the coastline to learn more about the rare animal.
Leopard seals are well known as apex predators, feeding on penguins and other seals. But this evidence is the first time that leopard seals hunted sharks. “Top predators that eat other top predators, this is quite interesting,” said Vander Linde.
The leopard seals that arrived on the coast of New Zealand came from Antarctica. Their presence in New Zealand waters is common. However, research is trying to determine whether seals came to New Zealand because there is more variety in their diet, tau as climate change could affect food sources in the south.
Scientists are still investigating in more detail to determine whether leopard seals have always preyed on sharks or is a new phenomenon. “This shows us so far that leopard seals are opportunistic predators that come to New Zealand and eat anything edible,” he said. (Read also; How Sharks Reproduce, Divided into Three Different Processes )
Van der Linde said it was rare to see a predator eating another predator. That could have implications for the food chain. “If leopard seals continue to increase in number and then affect the shark population, we really don’t know how that will affect things,” he said.
(Web)
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