A Potential Predation Attempt by a Great White Shark on an Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin

Wcisel, Michelle A.; Chivell, Wilfred; Gottfried, Michael D.

doi:10.3957/056.040.0212

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…8,13 The damage caused by serrated teeth most closely resembles the damage caused by white sharks described by Cigala-Fulgosi 13 and Govender and Chinsamy. 8 White sharks are known to roll onto their ventral surfaces when feeding, 31,36 which can cause the shark's teeth to slip and scrape over the bone only damaging the surface (see CF3 in Figure 4b). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shark–Cetacean trophic interaction, Duinefontein, Koeberg, (5 Ma), South Africa

Govender¹

2015

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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This study forms part of a larger project to reconstruct the Mio-Pliocene marine palaeoenvironment along South Africa's west coast. It documents the shark-cetacean trophic interaction during the Zanclean (5 Ma) at Duinefontein (Koeberg). The damage described on the fragmentary cetacean bones was compared with similar damage observed on fossils from Langebaanweg, a Mio-Pliocene site on the west coast of South Africa, and data present in the literature. This comparison showed that the damage was the result of shark bites. The state of preservation makes it difficult to determine if the shark bite marks were the cause of death or as a result of scavenging. The presence of the bite marks on the bone would, however, indicate some degree of skeletonisation. Bite marks on some cranial fragments would suggest that the cetacean's body was in an inverted position typical of a floating carcass. The preservation of the material suggests that the bones were exposed to wave action resulting in their fragmentation as well as abrasion, polishing and rolling. It also suggests that the cetacean skeletons were exposed for a long time prior to burial. The morphology of the bites suggests that the damage was inflicted by sharks with serrated and unserrated teeth. Shark teeth collected from the deposit include megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon), white (Carcharodon carcharias) as well as mako (Isurus sp. and Cosmopolitodus hastalis) sharks, making these sharks the most likely predators/scavengers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…27,28,[33][34][35] Off South Africa's coast there are documented attacks on odontocetes. 36 Body fluids leaching from large whale carcasses are thought to attract sharks from as far as 10 km away. 30 Sharks also feed on cetacean carcasses at sea and are not always observed as carcasses may remain afloat for a number of weeks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shark–Cetacean trophic interaction, Duinefontein, Koeberg, (5 Ma), South Africa

Govender¹

2015

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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“…Predators may also be a source of markings on dolphin dorsal fins (Wood et al, 1970;Cockcroft et al, 1989;Cockcroft, 1991;Heithaus, 2001;Celona et al, 2006;Gibson, 2006;Wcisel et al, 2010;Weir et al, 2010). The dusky dolphin is the most common small cetacean near Kaikoura, New Zealand .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Severe scars photographed and examined during opportunistic sightings and necropsies of stranded cetaceans have been attributed to various sources, including intraspecific aggression (Visser, 1998;Marley et al, 2013), shark attacks (Cockcroft et al, 1989;Cockcroft, 1991;Celona et al, 2006;Gibson, 2006;Wcisel et al, 2010), and human impacts (Wells & Scott, 1997;Wells et al, 1998;Read & Murray, 2000;Moore & Barco, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sources of Notch and Scar Patterns on the Dorsal Fins of Dusky Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)

Kügler¹

2014

Aquat Mamm

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Few studies have investigated the origins of distinctive marks on cetaceans and quantitatively evaluated the causal factors. We used photo-identification data to categorize the ecological sources of scars and notches on the dorsal fins of freeranging dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Dorsal fin photographs of 1,171 individuals that had marks from ecological sources were collected from October 2011 through January 2012. Photographs of scars and notches were compared to marks of known origin, cross-validated by experts, and categorized as derived from conspecifics, killer whales, sharks, vessel strikes, fishing gear, or unknown. A total of 1,019 dusky dolphins had notches, of which 419 (41%) individuals had additional scars. A smaller subset of dolphins (152 individuals) had only scars or pigmentations as marks. The marks on the majority of dusky dolphins were attributed to intraspecific interactions (notches: 84%, n = 983; scars: 30%, n = 355). Indications of predation attempts (sharks: 0.17%, n = 2; killer whales: 0.09%, n = 1; unclassified natural predators: 0.26%, n = 3) and human impact (net/line: 0.43%, n = 4; vessel: 0.17, n = 2; unclassified human impact: 0.34%, n = 4) were comparatively low. These results are consistent with previous studies and indicate that most marks on dusky dolphins are caused by conspecifics and that predation pressure and bycatch rates are low off Kaikoura. We suggest that these data indicate that current management actions regulating commercial and recreational boating activities in the area are sufficient, with no need for immediate modification.

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“…Sharks tagged at Isla Guadalupe and the Farallon Islands are known to move offshore to an aggregation site called the Shark Offshore Feeding Area (SOFA) between 15° N and 30° N -130° W and 140° W, near Hawaii (Weng et al, 2007;Domeier & Nasby-Lucas, 2008) and some individuals travel from pelagic areas to the Gulf of California (Domeier, 2012). Stomach content analysis and observational studies have shown that adults mainly feed on marine mammals, especially pinnipeds (Ainley et al, 1981;Morey et al, 2003;Hammerschlag et al, 2006); cetaceans, including dolphins and porpoises (Long & Jones, 1996;Morey et al, 2003;Wcisel et al, 2010), and fishes, including tuna (Fergusson et al, 2000;Ellis & McCosker, 1991). However, those approaches have some limitations that may include an emphasis on recently ingested prey and over representation/ retention of prey with hard parts.…”

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confidence: 99%

Hábitos alimenticios y migratorios del tiburón blanco Carcharodon carcharias (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) de Isla Guadalupe inferidos por el análisis de isótopos estables de δ15N and δ13C

Jaime-Rivera

Caraveo-Patiño

Hoyos-Padilla³

et al. 2014

RBT

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Stable isotope composition of marine top predator's tissues provides insight information of its trophic ecology and migratory behavior. Previous reports have shown that dermal tissues could record longer patterns of hunting and movement. Based on this, the aim of this study was to describe the feeding and migratory habits of the white shark from Isla Guadalupe, using stable isotopic analysis of dermis. We considered a small subset of many possible prey taxa that the sharks could have eaten throughout their migration: pinnipeds, squid and tuna. We grouped the data in five focal areas: Gulf of California, Coast of California, Isla Guadalupe, SOFA and Hawaii. We performed a Bayesian mixing model to study the trophic ecology of this top predator. Average isotopic values for dermis tissue of white shark were δ

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A Potential Predation Attempt by a Great White Shark on an Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin

Cited by 10 publications

References 14 publications

Shark–Cetacean trophic interaction, Duinefontein, Koeberg, (5 Ma), South Africa

Shark–Cetacean trophic interaction, Duinefontein, Koeberg, (5 Ma), South Africa

Sources of Notch and Scar Patterns on the Dorsal Fins of Dusky Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)

Hábitos alimenticios y migratorios del tiburón blanco Carcharodon carcharias (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) de Isla Guadalupe inferidos por el análisis de isótopos estables de δ15N and δ13C

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