In a surprising story that reveals the hidden dramas of the sea, Scientists have documented This is the first reported case of a 7-foot porbeagle shark being eaten by an even larger predator — possibly an even larger shark — in deep-sea waters off Bermuda.
Adding a layer of intrigue, Porbeagle was pregnant.
Originally, American scientists aimed to research pregnant porbeagle sharks, which are endangered in many areas of the world. Mounted on its fin using a pop-off satellite archival tag, The researchers monitored the shark’s temperature and the ocean depths to study its behavior and activity.
The tag shows the shark traveled hundreds of miles from New England to Bermuda at depths between 1,640 feet and 3,280 feet. As the shark swims too deep to reach the sun, its temperature remains cold. Then, his temperature reading suddenly rose. Scientists say this suggests that the tag overheated somewhere outside the shark’s body—and really, the only possible place is inside the big shark.
“That’s how we know if the shark was actually eaten or attacked,” said James Sulikowski, director of Oregon State University’s Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station. “We knew the tag was inside a warm-blooded animal. And we knew it wasn’t a whale or a mammal because mammals are warmer than that.”
Presumably, the predator was a type of lemnid shark. “My guess is probably mako or white sharks because they grow bigger than porbeagles,” he said. “It makes us want to study more and learn more about how vulnerable other big sharks are to eating and who is top dog out there.”
While smaller sharks often prey on larger sharks, according to Sulikowski, porbeagles are often too big to prey on—especially this 7-foot giant.
So what does this tell us? Well, it shows how little we really know about the ocean and its inhabitants – except, of course Shark attack We hear stories often.
Post Mystery hunter eats pregnant 7-foot shark near Bermuda appeared first Vice.
Post Mystery hunter eats pregnant 7-foot shark near Bermuda appeared first Vice.