Scientists have been left perplexed after an 8-foot pregnant porbeagle shark, which had been tracked for five months as it traveled from New England to Bermuda, suddenly disappeared. The researchers believe that another, larger shark may have preyed on the smaller one.
Researchers from Oregon State University, Arizona State University, and the Atlantic Shark Institute in Rhode Island were tracking the porbeagle using a tag affixed to its body. Suddenly, the tag began transmitting unusually high temperature readings while still in the cold ocean depths. These spikes suggested that another animal had eaten the shark.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, reveals that the tag was inside a warm-blooded creature but not a whale or mammal. The researchers believe that another shark may have been responsible for consuming their subject. James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University, suggested that it might have been a mako or white shark. Both species are larger than porbeagles and share similar internal body temperatures, which is what the tag’s temperature readings spiked to when the shark died.
The unusual incident of one shark consuming another highlights how little is known about oceanic ecosystems. It raises questions about the susceptibility of large sharks to predation and challenges our understanding of the apex predators in the marine environment. As research continues, scientists hope to learn more about the top predators in the ocean and their interactions with other species.
