Featured Image Credit: Frank Brennan/Dana Wharf
By Kira Krall
Tourists on a whale watching tour in SoCal recently got more than they bargained for in an up-close look at the circle of life of whales and sharks. Watch the video here!
Blue sharks typically feed on invertebrates like squid as well as small fish in the deeper and cooler parts of our planet’s oceans. Their torpedo shape is distinctively streamlined and makes swimming long distance much easier for them than for their stockier relatives. Their efficiency paired with their excellent chemosensory abilities brought them from far and wide to the minke whale buffet.
Whale expert Alisa Schulman-Jangier was aboard the vessel and suspects the whale was fatally hunted by orcas. The whale’s tongue and throat had been consumed, a trademark orca move. Other creatures like the blue sharks swooped in for a bite once the sea pandas had their film. During the video’s close up of the carcass, you can also see the feet of seabirds paddling along near the surface. They’re likely scavenging the floating parts of the whale that are inaccessible to the sea creatures below.
Dana Wharf captain Frank Brennan filmed the event and noticed how the sharks were taking bites of the carcass in an orderly fashion. Brennan estimated at least 20 sharks working in tandem to take advantage of the free meal.
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