Tiger sharks are usually solitary creatures, but nothing unites a scavenger like the delicious smell of a dead whale.
These large buffets can attract dozens of sharks at once, but such parties are rarely caught on camera.
In late June, a drone flying off the coast of Queensland, Australia, captured an extraordinary assembly of about 50 tiger sharks ripping apart the carcass of a deceased humpback whale.
This rare sight is important for shark research and serves as a warning to local swimmers.
“Wherever there is a dead whale, there are likely sharks nearby and this sighting clearly shows why this is the case.” Warn Senior Warden Daniel Clifton from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES).
“The death of a whale, while sad, creates a source of life for many other scavengers including fish, sharks and other marine life. We are lucky here at Great Sandy Marine Park, we can experience this natural process first hand.”
border frame=”0″allow=”accelerometer; auto start; Write a clipboard. gyroscope encoded media; picture in picture; “allowfullscreen>” web sharing.
To ensure natural feeding events could still be easily monitored offshore, officials pinned the hunchback’s remains to a secure location in Hervey Bay.
Directly from above, drone footage shows shark shadows circling the whale carcass. At times, a shark has been seen lunging at the whale and grabbing it, slamming its body back and forth as it tries to tear its bite.
At one point in the video, you can actually see a yellow cloud coming out from under the whale as the mad shark attacks it from below; Possible signs of gastric gas and fluids leaking into the water.
Yellow juice flows from the belly of the carcass of a whale. (Queensland Department of Environment and Science)
Scientists only study whale breath events like this for the last 30 years or soand while the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier(They visit frequently, it’s not uncommon for them to combine their species with others, such as the great white shark)Carcharodon carcharias) or bull shark (Karcharinus Luke).
Indeed, off the coast of Australia, researchers have done just that registered Several instances where white sharks and tigers simultaneously devoured whale carcasses in peace.
Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus) It can even join the battle sometimes.
border frame=”0″allow=”accelerometer; auto start; Write a clipboard. gyroscope encoded media; picture in picture; “allowfullscreen>” web sharing.
Sharks may have been among the first creatures to arrive at the whale banquet, but their remains have preoccupied the ecosystems of the ocean depths for decades.
When a whale dies naturally, the fat and gas in its body keeps it afloat for a while. When the scavengers started picking up the remains, the skeleton must have started sinking.
This is called “whale fall,” and it supplies vital nutrients to seafloor organisms from above. Snakes, worms, crabs and octopuses have been recorded feeding on whale skeletons at extreme depths. They even eat bones.
With so many hungry mouths to feed, no part of a dead whale goes to waste.
Even in death, these noble creatures bring new life to the oceans.
2023-07-25 04:10:08
#Watch #dozens #sharks #eat #dead #whale #carcass #ScienceAlert
