For the first time ever, researchers have found evidence of a top-of-the-food chain shark being killed by a predator, according to a study published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
The team of scientists who wrote the study had set out to research pregnant porbeagle sharks and track their movements because they’re endangered in many parts of the world. The scientists come from Oregon State University, Arizona State University and the Rhode Island-based Atlantic Shark Institute.
One of the sharks studied measured 8 feet and had been tracked for five months, said James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University.
What the researchers found is that the large, warm-blooded shark had fallen prey to another warm-blooded predator − likely another shark.
Porbeagle shark was eaten by a warm-blooded predator, team says
Sulikowski said the team put two different tags on their subject sharks.
The first tag, called a finmount tag, is located on the shark’s fin and gives scientists “a very accurate geolocation when the fin comes out of the water,” he told USA TODAY recently.
Read the full story here: An 8-foot shark was eaten by a predator in what study says is a first
More news on dangerous creatures: Florida has animals that can kill. Here’s a list of the deadliest
With a wide area of swamps, from the massive Everglades to major parks like Big Cypress Natural Preserve, to heavily wooded areas, to major lakes and canals, to the Atlantic coastline and Gulf of Mexico, Florida is a natural habitat for many creatures.
Some are cute, like key deer and North American river otters. Others are postcard-perfect, like flamingos and manatees.
But some can be deadly. Here are just a few of them.
Read full story here: Deadliest animals in Florida
A 5-foot alligator was found inside the carcass of a Burmese python in Florida
In 2022, Florida scientist and internet personality Rosie Moore posted a video on Instagram of herself and her colleagues performing a necropsy on an 18-foot Burmese python. The video, which currently has over 440,000 likes, revealed that the large snake had swallowed an entire alligator.
The non-native Burmese python has long plagued the Everglades, preying on all kinds of animals such as the endangered Key Largo woodrat. The large constrictors, originally from Asia, are considered an invasive species due to their impact on the area’s wildlife, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected]. Help support our local journalism; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dangerous animals: Large sharks eaten by predator, pythons in Florida
