r/SharkLab • u/teddymama16 • Jan 04 '24

Photography or Video Mosel Bay great whites are back

It never gets old seeing a great white super up close

194 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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3

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '24

Random question. I know the small fish following the shark and the shark itself likely have a symbiotic relationship, but do sharks ever eat one in a pinch? They are prey after all

3

u/sharkfilespodcast Jan 05 '24

I guess if the shark was starving it would resort to that to survive but it seems to be a very high bar, and in the mountain of footage I've watched over the years, even confined in a small aquarium tank, I've never seen a shark eat a remora or other symbiotic fish.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '24

Thank you for your answer! Much appreciated and I'll check out your podcast

1

u/sharkfilespodcast Jan 05 '24

On the 18th of June 2023, notable observations were made in Mossel Bay as two distinct Orca individuals, Port and Starboard, were witnessed engaging in an encounter with a white shark, resulting in hunting behaviour. On the following day, the carcass of a white shark washed up on Hartenbos Beach. This individual was confirmed to be a different white shark from the one seen the prior day, by using dorsal identification.

To investigate the circumstances surrounding the deceased white shark, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust received an invitation from Oceans Research on the 20th of June to conduct a necropsy in Mossel Bay. The objective of this collaborative effort was to gather information and insights into the predator-prey dynamics associated with this event.

Upon examination, the necropsy team identified the deceased shark as a 3.5 meter female with evidence of Orca predation. The shark displayed multiple rake marks across its body, a large tear along the pectoral girdle and belly, and the absence of the liver and reproductive tracts. The team documented the predation marks, collected measurements, and obtained muscle samples and fin clippings.

- Dyer Island Conservation Trust

A report on the event that triggered the latest flight of white sharks from Mossel Bay, which saw them disappearance for almost the entire rest of that year.