A great white shark in Australia met a violent end as orcas seemingly disemboweled it and ripped it in two.
It's hard to believe that an apex predator like a great white shark wouldn't be able to stand up to whatever animal gets in his path. Back in October, remnants of a great white's carcass washed up on the shore in Portland, Australia, leading scientists to question what exactly led to its gruesome death.
It turns out the shark met a violent fate at the hands (or rather, fins) of orcas in the area. Not only was it chomped in half, but it was seemingly disemboweled by the mammals. Adam Miller, an associate professor in aquatic ecology and biodiversity at Deakin University, explained what likely happened to Australia's ABC Radio Melbourne.
"Inspection of the shark [showed] really characteristic bite marks right in the pectoral girdle, so right between those fins under the belly, that are quite typical of killer whales where they effectively suck out the liver," Miller said.
Scientists estimated the shark measured over 16 feet long when it was alive and fully intact. While orcas in the area have been known to kill and eat the livers of blue sharks and shortfin mako sharks, the recent death is the first evidence of orcas feeding on a great white anywhere off the coast of Australia.
Working in partnership with Indigenous groups and government authorities, Miller and his team were able to get a hold of the carcass and analyze it for genetic information. "We were able to confirm that those bite wounds were just loaded with killer whale DNA," Miller said, "so it's a bit of a smoking gun."
Great white shark ripped in 2 was 'loaded' with orca DNA.
— Blue Planet Society (@Seasaver) November 30, 2023
The shark — which scientists estimate measured over 16 feet (4.9 meters) long when alive — provides the first evidence of orcas predating on a great white off Australia's coast.https://t.co/EKPI1uyocz
Only two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, and a group of around seven were spotted nearby just days before the great white washed up on shore. Still, the recent incident could spell trouble for the country's great white shark population, which Miller said is already reduced to a "critically low number of breeding individuals."
If there were ever a moment to go swimming with sharks, now would be the time.
