Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained when it appeared on a beach in Portland, Victoria, fueling speculation that orcas disemboweled the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) to feast on its liver — similar to attacks that have been recorded off the coast of South Africa for several years.

A necropsy has now revealed orcas (Orcinus orca), also known as killer whales, were indeed responsible for the gruesome attack.

“Inspection of the shark 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,” Adam Miller, an associate professor in aquatic ecology and biodiversity at Deakin University in Victoria who led the analysis, told the Australian broadcaster ABC Radio Melbourne.

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.

Researchers took swabs of the shark’s bite wounds and found they were “loaded” with orca DNA.

Orcas in these waters are known to kill blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) to eat their livers, Miller said. Researchers suspected that some great whites may have met the same fate due to several aggressive interactions recorded off Kangaroo Island and the Neptune Islands in southern Australia, but it had never been confirmed.

Miller and his colleagues worked in partnership with First Nations groups and government authorities to acquire the carcass, enabling them to analyze genetic samples and swabs of the shark’s bite wound. “We were able to confirm that those bite wounds were just loaded with killer whale DNA, so it’s a bit of a smoking gun,” he said.

A group of around seven orcas was sighted in nearby Bridgewater Bay a couple of days before the great white shark washed up in Portland, Miller said.

Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.

“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained when it appeared on a beach in Portland, Victoria, fueling speculation that orcas disemboweled the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) to feast on its liver — similar to attacks that have been recorded off the coast of South Africa for several years.

A necropsy has now revealed orcas (Orcinus orca), also known as killer whales, were indeed responsible for the gruesome attack.

“Inspection of the shark 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,” Adam Miller, an associate professor in aquatic ecology and biodiversity at Deakin University in Victoria who led the analysis, told the Australian broadcaster ABC Radio Melbourne.

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.

Researchers took swabs of the shark’s bite wounds and found they were “loaded” with orca DNA.

Orcas in these waters are known to kill blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) to eat their livers, Miller said. Researchers suspected that some great whites may have met the same fate due to several aggressive interactions recorded off Kangaroo Island and the Neptune Islands in southern Australia, but it had never been confirmed.

Miller and his colleagues worked in partnership with First Nations groups and government authorities to acquire the carcass, enabling them to analyze genetic samples and swabs of the shark’s bite wound. “We were able to confirm that those bite wounds were just loaded with killer whale DNA, so it’s a bit of a smoking gun,” he said.

A group of around seven orcas was sighted in nearby Bridgewater Bay a couple of days before the great white shark washed up in Portland, Miller said.

Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.

“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

And don’t get me started on humpbacks.

Peak Warming Man said:

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained when it appeared on a beach in Portland, Victoria, fueling speculation that orcas disemboweled the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) to feast on its liver — similar to attacks that have been recorded off the coast of South Africa for several years.

A necropsy has now revealed orcas (Orcinus orca), also known as killer whales, were indeed responsible for the gruesome attack.

“Inspection of the shark 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,” Adam Miller, an associate professor in aquatic ecology and biodiversity at Deakin University in Victoria who led the analysis, told the Australian broadcaster ABC Radio Melbourne.

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.

Researchers took swabs of the shark’s bite wounds and found they were “loaded” with orca DNA.

Orcas in these waters are known to kill blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) to eat their livers, Miller said. Researchers suspected that some great whites may have met the same fate due to several aggressive interactions recorded off Kangaroo Island and the Neptune Islands in southern Australia, but it had never been confirmed.

Miller and his colleagues worked in partnership with First Nations groups and government authorities to acquire the carcass, enabling them to analyze genetic samples and swabs of the shark’s bite wound. “We were able to confirm that those bite wounds were just loaded with killer whale DNA, so it’s a bit of a smoking gun,” he said.

A group of around seven orcas was sighted in nearby Bridgewater Bay a couple of days before the great white shark washed up in Portland, Miller said.

Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.

“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

And don’t get me started on humpbacks.

It is beginning to look like the White Shark has a new and highly effective predator that might threaten its survival.

disemboweled the “ predator “

Get wrecked, poser.

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.
> snip <
Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.
> snip <
“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

It’s been happening off the West Coast of America for some time,
and yes, it’s a learned behavior spreading from pod to pod which became necessary,
at least from the orca’s point of view, because the great whites were attacking orca calves

Footage shows pod of orcas killing a great white shark and devouring its liver

Ogmog said:

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.
> snip <
Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.
> snip <
“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

It’s been happening off the West Coast of America for some time,
and yes, it’s a learned behavior spreading from pod to pod which became necessary,
at least from the orca’s point of view, because the great whites were attacking orca calves

Footage shows pod of orcas killing a great white shark and devouring its liver

Why the liver? What’s so special about shark liver?

party_pants said:

Ogmog said:

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.
> snip <
Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.
> snip <
“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

It’s been happening off the West Coast of America for some time,
and yes, it’s a learned behavior spreading from pod to pod which became necessary,
at least from the orca’s point of view, because the great whites were attacking orca calves

Footage shows pod of orcas killing a great white shark and devouring its liver

Why the liver? What’s so special about shark liver?

high energy content. orcas also like whale tongue.

In the doco I’d initially seen years ago
they claimed that the orcas weren’t only feeding on the livers
but actually ripping them out and shredding them in order to
release the shark liver oil in order to repel the great whites
from the area the orcas used for breeding purposes.

a quick search turned up this

Ogmog said:

In the doco I’d initially seen years ago
they claimed that the orcas weren’t only feeding on the livers
but actually ripping them out and shredding them in order to
release the shark liver oil in order to repel the great whites
from the area the orcas used for breeding purposes.

a quick search turned up this

I’ll admit to ignorance here.

I didn’t know until only a year or so ago that there were Orcas in Australian waters.

“In Australia, Killer Whales are recorded from all states, with concentrations reported around Tasmania. Sightings are also frequent in South Australia and Victoria (Ling 1991)”.

“about 200 orcas are drawn to Bremer Bay, Western Australia, every summer. They come to hunt, feed and frolic in a deep-sea canyon, 45 kilometres off the isolated south-west coast.”

Apparently Bremer Bay is the only place in Australia where you can take a tour to see wild orcas. The money from the tourists funds scientific research.

Orcas and great whites both enjoy eating seals.

I would very much like to know what Orcas feed on in this deep sea canyon.

mollwollfumble said:

Ogmog said:

In the doco I’d initially seen years ago
they claimed that the orcas weren’t only feeding on the livers
but actually ripping them out and shredding them in order to
release the shark liver oil in order to repel the great whites
from the area the orcas used for breeding purposes.

a quick search turned up this

I’ll admit to ignorance here.

I didn’t know until only a year or so ago that there were Orcas in Australian waters.

“In Australia, Killer Whales are recorded from all states, with concentrations reported around Tasmania. Sightings are also frequent in South Australia and Victoria (Ling 1991)”.

“about 200 orcas are drawn to Bremer Bay, Western Australia, every summer. They come to hunt, feed and frolic in a deep-sea canyon, 45 kilometres off the isolated south-west coast.”

Apparently Bremer Bay is the only place in Australia where you can take a tour to see wild orcas. The money from the tourists funds scientific research.

Orcas and great whites both enjoy eating seals.

I would very much like to know what Orcas feed on in this deep sea canyon.

Different Orca pods usually hunt different prey and largely ignore other prey. Some only hunt fish and often particular species. Others eat birds like penguins, some seals, some other whales, which makes this predation on large Great Whites so unusual. They feed on the liver that in sharks is large, fatty and high in nutritional value. The White Sharks do not attack the orcas or their young and are driven out of the feeding locations of the Orcas that eat them (other than people Orcas are not hunted by anything, they are truly an apex predator.

mollwollfumble said:

Ogmog said:

In the doco I’d initially seen years ago
they claimed that the orcas weren’t only feeding on the livers
but actually ripping them out and shredding them in order to
release the shark liver oil in order to repel the great whites
from the area the orcas used for breeding purposes.

a quick search turned up this

I’ll admit to ignorance here.

I didn’t know until only a year or so ago that there were Orcas in Australian waters.

“In Australia, Killer Whales are recorded from all states, with concentrations reported around Tasmania. Sightings are also frequent in South Australia and Victoria (Ling 1991)”.

“about 200 orcas are drawn to Bremer Bay, Western Australia, every summer. They come to hunt, feed and frolic in a deep-sea canyon, 45 kilometres off the isolated south-west coast.”

Apparently Bremer Bay is the only place in Australia where you can take a tour to see wild orcas. The money from the tourists funds scientific research.

Orcas and great whites both enjoy eating seals.

I would very much like to know what Orcas feed on in this deep sea canyon.

Did you know about the orcas at Eden in years past? It’s a great story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_South_Wales

buffy said:

mollwollfumble said:

Ogmog said:

In the doco I’d initially seen years ago
they claimed that the orcas weren’t only feeding on the livers
but actually ripping them out and shredding them in order to
release the shark liver oil in order to repel the great whites
from the area the orcas used for breeding purposes.

a quick search turned up this

I’ll admit to ignorance here.

I didn’t know until only a year or so ago that there were Orcas in Australian waters.

“In Australia, Killer Whales are recorded from all states, with concentrations reported around Tasmania. Sightings are also frequent in South Australia and Victoria (Ling 1991)”.

“about 200 orcas are drawn to Bremer Bay, Western Australia, every summer. They come to hunt, feed and frolic in a deep-sea canyon, 45 kilometres off the isolated south-west coast.”

Apparently Bremer Bay is the only place in Australia where you can take a tour to see wild orcas. The money from the tourists funds scientific research.

Orcas and great whites both enjoy eating seals.

I would very much like to know what Orcas feed on in this deep sea canyon.

Did you know about the orcas at Eden in years past? It’s a great story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_South_Wales

Yes it’s a great story.

party_pants said:

Ogmog said:

PermeateFree said:

Scientists have analyzed the remains of a great white shark that washed up in Australia in October and confirmed orcas disemboweled the predator to eat its liver — a first in these waters.

Only the shark’s head and spine remained after orcas disemboweled it to suck out its liver.

A mutilated great white shark that washed up in Australia in October was mauled by orcas and “loaded” with its attackers’ DNA, scientists have confirmed.
> snip <
Two orca pods are known to live in Australian waters, he said, and they “have quite distinctive feeding behaviors and predation behaviors.” But behaviors are sometimes learned and shared between pods, Miller added. “Their communication is pretty amazing,” he said. “Behaviors are picked up by one pod the neighboring pod through direct communication.”

It’s unclear which pod is responsible for attacking the great white shark and whether the behavior is widespread in these waters. Frequent predation by orcas could spell trouble for the Australian population of great whites, which is already down to a “critically low number of breeding individuals,” Miller said.
> snip <
“From a conservation point of view it’s significant, but we don’t know how frequently it’s happening so we’ll keep an eye on things,” he added.

https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/great-white-shark-ripped-in-2-was-loaded-with-orca-dna-scientists-say

It’s been happening off the West Coast of America for some time,
and yes, it’s a learned behavior spreading from pod to pod which became necessary,
at least from the orca’s point of view, because the great whites were attacking orca calves

Footage shows pod of orcas killing a great white shark and devouring its liver

Why the liver? What’s so special about shark liver?

These Orca must be Le Franca. They love liver. Perhaps they make Pâté. Pâté is believed to have originated in medieval France. The word pâté derives from the Old French word patete.

Peak Warming Man said:

buffy said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’ll admit to ignorance here.

I didn’t know until only a year or so ago that there were Orcas in Australian waters.

“In Australia, Killer Whales are recorded from all states, with concentrations reported around Tasmania. Sightings are also frequent in South Australia and Victoria (Ling 1991)”.

“about 200 orcas are drawn to Bremer Bay, Western Australia, every summer. They come to hunt, feed and frolic in a deep-sea canyon, 45 kilometres off the isolated south-west coast.”

Apparently Bremer Bay is the only place in Australia where you can take a tour to see wild orcas. The money from the tourists funds scientific research.

Orcas and great whites both enjoy eating seals.

I would very much like to know what Orcas feed on in this deep sea canyon.

Did you know about the orcas at Eden in years past? It’s a great story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whales_of_Eden,_New_South_Wales

Yes it’s a great story.

It makes me wonder .. if Orcas have a hand fin in whale beachings?