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United States Pckts Offline
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#61
( This post was last modified: 06-07-2017, 10:31 PM by Pckts )

If I recall correctly, It wasn't an orca and calf, it was a pod and the corpse of a dead GWS sent all other sharks fleeing.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/sh...ck/6080788

Orcas no doubt strike fear into GWS and for good reason.

Cape Town - An orca whale killing spree of great white sharks has gripped the coast of South Africa this month, resulting in the first ever dissection of a white shark following an attack of this nature.
In the past two weeks, three dead white sharks washed up on the shores near Cape Town; and like all good serial killer mysteries, this killer left a common clue at the scene of each crime.
With almost surgical precision, the livers of the sharks in all three cases were neatly removed, but little else was eaten.
Even the hearts of the two of the sharks were left intact.
Following the unprecedented dissections, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), confirmed this week that orca whales were responsible for all three killings, and that they were targeting the large nutrient-rich livers of the sharks. Various small pods of orcas have been spotted around Gansbaai in recent weeks.
"We have never seen anything like this," said Alison Towner, a biologist from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, who contributed to the dissection of the sharks. In all three cases, "there was a large gaping hole between her pectoral fins where they were torn apart to reveal her body cavity … and that their large livers were completely missing. This information, combined with the recent sightings of orca and disappearance of white sharks in the area, provides convincing evidence that the orcas are responsible for the shark's death."
“This is an extremely rare occurrence,” she said in an email with Traveller24, “This is also the first time worldwide the carcass of a white shark was recovered post orca predation, let alone three carcasses within one week!”


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

The Timeline of Events
The first dead shark—a massive one-ton great white—washed up on the shore in Gansbaai on 3 May. The first people at the scene were initially perplexed as to how such a large shark could have died, and it wasn't until a dissection, authorised by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in conjunction with the White Shark Research Group, Marine Dynamics and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, revealed that the shark’s liver was missing.
The next day, another 3,5 meter shark washed up on the shore at Franskraal beach, and a later dissection revealed that this one’s liver was also missing.  “This is a difficult yet fascinating time,” said Towner on the Marine Dynamics blog. “It is something rarely documented in marine top predator behaviour in South Africa,”
On 7 May, a third dead shark washed up, this time in Struisbaai, matching the injuries of the previous two specimens, and cementing the suspicion that these were not just random isolated incidents. “Obviously this is a very sad time for us all,” said Towner, who was on hand to assist again. “Nature can be so cruel and the dexterity these enormous animals are capable of is mind blowing, almost surgical precision as they remove the liver of the white sharks and dump their carcass."

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

How and Why are Orcas targeting Great White Sharks?
Known as the “Wolves of the Sea”, orcas are the true apex predators of the ocean, and the only known predator of the great white shark. 
They are extremely intelligent, specialised hunters, feeding above sharks on the overall oceanic food chain. They hunt in organised social groups, using echo-location, strategy, and teamwork to kill their prey, which can be anything in the ocean, from seals, to dolphins, dugongs, otters, turtles, birds, squid, and sometimes even land mammals.
According to the DEA statement, the orcas were targeting the squalene rich livers that assists sharks with their buoyancy. This substance is also highly nutritious pound for pound, compared with the muscle tissue. Although this type of selective feeding on livers is extremely rare in orca whales, seals have been known to predate sea birds where they often remove and consume only the stomach/abdominal content and not the rest of the carcass.   
Orcas are also suspected to be responsible for a decline in Cape Town’s cow shark population, and have been known to predate these sharks. Alison Kock, a Marine Scientist for Shark Spotters, reported recovering several cow shark carcasses in a similar condition with their livers removed, in False Bay subsequent to a series of orca sightings.
How the orcas are able to extract the livers so neatly from the sharks is a bit of a mystery. But footage off the coast of California showed team-work between the orcas pushing a white shark to the surface, belly up, biting into its flesh, before letting buoyant, oil-rich liver as it float out of the cavity. 


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
What does this mean for Great White Sharks in South Africa?
Orca whales are widely distributed in the ocean, extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic, into the tropics, and are present in both coastal and oceanic waters.
According to figures from the DEA, orca whales are fairly common along the coast of South Africa, and some 785 sightings have been recorded ranging from the Western Cape all the way to Northern KwaZulu-Natal. “The sightings of Orca pods appears to be increasing in South Africa,” they said in a recent statement, but these sightings could also be attributed to more people on the ocean with eyes on the water.
The incidents have already affected the number of great white sightings, as the sharks leave the bay to avoid the orcas. The killings are a blow to the already struggling population of great white sharks in South Africa, a local population which some scientists say is facing extinction.
The DEA, along with various shark scientists and marine mammalogists, is currently collating all the scientific information about the incidents, and they are urging the public to be aware that this is a natural phenomenon, and might have to do with changes in seasons or temperatures and prey regimes of the orcas.
Time will tell whether these massive apex predators continue with their unprecedented great white shark killing spree.

http://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Green...y-20170512
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United States Pckts Offline
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#62
( This post was last modified: 06-08-2017, 04:57 AM by Pckts )

Juvenile shark spotted off Manhattan Beach is a ‘regular’ thing

http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-a...ular-thing



25 great white sharks spotted off Southern California coast

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/us/25-grea...index.html

Sharks Spotted Along Southern California Coast, Including 15 at San Onofre Beach; Advisories Issued in Long Beach, Orange County

http://ktla.com/2017/05/10/15-sharks-spo...ge-county/



For me, this was the craziest one...
Sharks Spotted Again Off Long Beach Coast

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/05/1...ong-beach/

I live in Long Beach and have for my whole life, we've never had shark warnings that close to the peninsula, where most of us swim.
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chaos Offline
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#63
( This post was last modified: 06-08-2017, 04:24 AM by chaos )

Wild: The Whale That Ate Jaws : http://channel.nationalgeographic.com...

Here's the account I made reference to. Happened off the Farallon islands. Fascinating event.
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United States Pckts Offline
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#64
( This post was last modified: 06-08-2017, 04:54 AM by Pckts )

I couldn't view on that link, found this one




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chaos Offline
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#65

That's the one. Thanks
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Rishi Offline
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#66





Shift it to a better suited thred if such one exists..
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Venezuela epaiva Offline
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#67

(06-07-2017, 10:30 PM)Pckts Wrote: If I recall correctly, It wasn't an orca and calf, it was a pod and the corpse of a dead GWS sent all other sharks fleeing.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/sh...ck/6080788

Orcas no doubt strike fear into GWS and for good reason.

Cape Town - An orca whale killing spree of great white sharks has gripped the coast of South Africa this month, resulting in the first ever dissection of a white shark following an attack of this nature.
In the past two weeks, three dead white sharks washed up on the shores near Cape Town; and like all good serial killer mysteries, this killer left a common clue at the scene of each crime.
With almost surgical precision, the livers of the sharks in all three cases were neatly removed, but little else was eaten.
Even the hearts of the two of the sharks were left intact.
Following the unprecedented dissections, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), confirmed this week that orca whales were responsible for all three killings, and that they were targeting the large nutrient-rich livers of the sharks. Various small pods of orcas have been spotted around Gansbaai in recent weeks.
"We have never seen anything like this," said Alison Towner, a biologist from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, who contributed to the dissection of the sharks. In all three cases, "there was a large gaping hole between her pectoral fins where they were torn apart to reveal her body cavity … and that their large livers were completely missing. This information, combined with the recent sightings of orca and disappearance of white sharks in the area, provides convincing evidence that the orcas are responsible for the shark's death."
“This is an extremely rare occurrence,” she said in an email with Traveller24, “This is also the first time worldwide the carcass of a white shark was recovered post orca predation, let alone three carcasses within one week!”


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

The Timeline of Events
The first dead shark—a massive one-ton great white—washed up on the shore in Gansbaai on 3 May. The first people at the scene were initially perplexed as to how such a large shark could have died, and it wasn't until a dissection, authorised by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in conjunction with the White Shark Research Group, Marine Dynamics and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, revealed that the shark’s liver was missing.
The next day, another 3,5 meter shark washed up on the shore at Franskraal beach, and a later dissection revealed that this one’s liver was also missing.  “This is a difficult yet fascinating time,” said Towner on the Marine Dynamics blog. “It is something rarely documented in marine top predator behaviour in South Africa,”
On 7 May, a third dead shark washed up, this time in Struisbaai, matching the injuries of the previous two specimens, and cementing the suspicion that these were not just random isolated incidents. “Obviously this is a very sad time for us all,” said Towner, who was on hand to assist again. “Nature can be so cruel and the dexterity these enormous animals are capable of is mind blowing, almost surgical precision as they remove the liver of the white sharks and dump their carcass."

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

How and Why are Orcas targeting Great White Sharks?
Known as the “Wolves of the Sea”, orcas are the true apex predators of the ocean, and the only known predator of the great white shark. 
They are extremely intelligent, specialised hunters, feeding above sharks on the overall oceanic food chain. They hunt in organised social groups, using echo-location, strategy, and teamwork to kill their prey, which can be anything in the ocean, from seals, to dolphins, dugongs, otters, turtles, birds, squid, and sometimes even land mammals.
According to the DEA statement, the orcas were targeting the squalene rich livers that assists sharks with their buoyancy. This substance is also highly nutritious pound for pound, compared with the muscle tissue. Although this type of selective feeding on livers is extremely rare in orca whales, seals have been known to predate sea birds where they often remove and consume only the stomach/abdominal content and not the rest of the carcass.   
Orcas are also suspected to be responsible for a decline in Cape Town’s cow shark population, and have been known to predate these sharks. Alison Kock, a Marine Scientist for Shark Spotters, reported recovering several cow shark carcasses in a similar condition with their livers removed, in False Bay subsequent to a series of orca sightings.
How the orcas are able to extract the livers so neatly from the sharks is a bit of a mystery. But footage off the coast of California showed team-work between the orcas pushing a white shark to the surface, belly up, biting into its flesh, before letting buoyant, oil-rich liver as it float out of the cavity. 


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
What does this mean for Great White Sharks in South Africa?
Orca whales are widely distributed in the ocean, extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic, into the tropics, and are present in both coastal and oceanic waters.
According to figures from the DEA, orca whales are fairly common along the coast of South Africa, and some 785 sightings have been recorded ranging from the Western Cape all the way to Northern KwaZulu-Natal. “The sightings of Orca pods appears to be increasing in South Africa,” they said in a recent statement, but these sightings could also be attributed to more people on the ocean with eyes on the water.
The incidents have already affected the number of great white sightings, as the sharks leave the bay to avoid the orcas. The killings are a blow to the already struggling population of great white sharks in South Africa, a local population which some scientists say is facing extinction.
The DEA, along with various shark scientists and marine mammalogists, is currently collating all the scientific information about the incidents, and they are urging the public to be aware that this is a natural phenomenon, and might have to do with changes in seasons or temperatures and prey regimes of the orcas.
Time will tell whether these massive apex predators continue with their unprecedented great white shark killing spree.

http://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Green...y-20170512

Thanks a lot for your valuable information @Pckts
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Guatemala GuateGojira Offline
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#68

(08-10-2017, 08:17 PM)Rishi Wrote:




Shift it to a better suited thred if such one exists..

Actually, that is a humpback whale, only HALF of the size of a blue whale. So imagine how large will be a real blue giant!!! shocked
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Rishi Offline
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#69

21 Dolphins Die After Attack By Rival Gang

54 dolphins were attacked by other clan in Baja California peninsula.

*This image is copyright of its original author

La Paz, Mexico : Twenty-one dolphins that were apparently attacked by another species of dolphin have died after washing up on a beach in northern Mexico, authorities said.


Environmental activists launched a frantic operation to try to save the dolphins after a group of 54 washed up on a rocky beach in Bahia de la Paz, in Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

They managed to get 33 of the short-beaked common dolphins back in the water alive, but the rest died on the beach, the Mexican environmental protection authority, Profepa, said in a statement.



The dolphins had bite marks that appeared to indicate they had been attacked by bottlenose dolphins, rescuers said.


Despite their cute and friendly reputation, some dolphins, including the bottlenose, are known to attack and even kill other dolphins.
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Germany Jeffrey Offline
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#70

Unlike the better known sharks like (hammerheads,great whites,tiger sharks...) The boss of the deep tropical ocean is this shark,the sixgill.
Barely changed for hundreds of millions of years,the deep ocean looks "like daylight" to sixgills thanks to those googly green eyes, and their incredible serrated teeth give them the first seat of the table whenever carrion such as whale carcasses land on the sea floor. Shark scientist Dr. Drean Gubbs told mashable all about it from OceanX's latest mission in the Bahamas

Picture : Dean grubbs @fsumarinelab


*This image is copyright of its original author
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United States Pckts Offline
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#71


*This image is copyright of its original author

6.55” MONSTER Megalodon tooth found off the coast of North Carolina!
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United States Polar Offline
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#72

Good find, @Pckts! Is that a world record for tooth size of Megalodon?
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United States GrizzlyClaws Offline
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#73

(09-12-2018, 05:37 AM)Polar Wrote: Good find, @Pckts! Is that a world record for tooth size of Megalodon?

I think it is about 7.5 inches from a private collection in Peru, but I did forget the whereabouts of the pic.
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United States Pckts Offline
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#74

Guillaume Néry
The male singer and Julie Gautier . I went down to 35m to take this picture. After 3 hours spent alone with him, he accepted us. He allowed Julie to dive down at 25m while I was facing him, just below. That was for sure an incredible, crazy, unique, unbelievable experience. I took this picture with myNauticam . As usual, huge thanks to CressiOfficine Panerai and Air Tahiti Nui for their support. #underwater #underwaterart #underwaterphotography #underwaterlife #humpbackwhale #freediving #freedivingphotography #freedivingart #wildlifephotography #wildlifeencounters #exploration #freedom #harmony #bluenery #blueneryfamily #wearebluenery

*This image is copyright of its original author
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Sanju Offline
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#75



This seal certainly had to work for his meal!
He’s so fast and agile!
Via @oceanshot
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