In a surprising story that unveils the hidden dramas of the sea, scientists have documented the first-ever case of a 7-foot porbeagle shark being eaten by an even bigger predator—likely an even bigger shark—in the deep ocean waters near Bermuda.
Adding a layer of intrigue, the porbeagle was pregnant.
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Originally, American scientists aimed to research pregnant porbeagle sharks, which are endangered in many areas of the world. Using a pop-off satellite archival tag mounted to its fin, researchers kept track of the shark’s temperature and depth in the ocean to study its behavior and activity.
The tag showed that the shark traveled hundreds of miles from New England to Bermuda at depths between 1,640 feet and 3,280 feet. Since the shark was swimming too deep for the sun to reach, its temperature remained cool. Then, its temperature reading suddenly went up. Scientists say this indicates the tag went from outside the shark’s body to somewhere warmer—and really, the only likely place is inside a bigger shark.
“That’s how we knew the shark was actually eaten or attacked,” said James Sulikowski, director of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University. “We knew that the tag was inside of a warm-blooded creature. And we knew that it wasn’t a whale or mammal because mammals are much warmer than that.”
Likely, the predator was a type of lamnid shark. “My guess is probably a mako or a white shark because they do get larger than a porbeagle,” he said. “It makes us want to study more and learn more about how susceptible other large sharks are to be eaten and who is the top dog out there.”
While smaller sharks are often the victims of larger sharks, according to Sulikowski, porbeagles are often too large to be preyed on—especially this 7-foot giant.
So what does this tell us? Well, it shows just how little we really know about the ocean and its inhabitants—of course, aside from the shark attack stories we often hear.
