A shortfin mako shark circling a finless porpoise with damaged caudal fin

Autor: Taro Okamura, Soma Tokunaga, Takaya Ogawa, Ken Yoda
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ecology and Evolution, Vol 14, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-7758
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70024
Popis: Abstract Research on predator–prey interactions between sharks and cetaceans remain limited. Here, we report on a video of a shortfin mako shark circling a finless porpoise with a damaged caudal fin in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The finless porpoise was neither emaciated nor inactive, but unable to swim effectively due to the complete lack of a caudal fin. Some circumstantial evidence, including a bite mark on the porpoise's head, strongly suggests that the mako shark attacked it. Furthermore, the possible time difference between the two injuries the porpoise sustained may reflect the shark's hunting tactics. While mako sharks primarily feed on small fish and cephalopods, this observation suggests they also may prey on live cetaceans more often than previously thought.
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