Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia
ABSTRACT Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been documented to prey on white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), in some cases causing localised shark displacement and triggering ecological cascades. Notably, a series of such predation events have been reported from South Africa over the last decade, wi...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70786 |
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| author | Isabella M. M. Reeves Andrew R. Weeks Alison V. Towner Rachael Impey Jessica J. Fish Zach S. R. Clark Paul A. Butcher Lauren Meyer David M. Donnelly Charlie Huveneers Nicky Hudson Adam D. Miller |
| author_facet | Isabella M. M. Reeves Andrew R. Weeks Alison V. Towner Rachael Impey Jessica J. Fish Zach S. R. Clark Paul A. Butcher Lauren Meyer David M. Donnelly Charlie Huveneers Nicky Hudson Adam D. Miller |
| author_sort | Isabella M. M. Reeves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been documented to prey on white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), in some cases causing localised shark displacement and triggering ecological cascades. Notably, a series of such predation events have been reported from South Africa over the last decade, with killer whales specifically targeting sharks' liver. However, observations of these interactions are rare, and knowledge of their frequency across the world's oceans remains limited. In October 2023, a 4.7 m (total length) white shark carcass washed ashore in southeastern Australia, coinciding with reports from citizen scientists of killer whales hunting a large, unidentified prey item in the area. Visual inspection of the carcass revealed that the liver, digestive, and reproductive organs were missing, and the presence of four distinctive bite wounds, one of which was characteristic of killer whale liver extraction as seen in South Africa. Genomic analyses performed on swabs taken from the bite wounds confirmed the presence of killer whale DNA in the major bite area, while the other bites were embedded with genetic material from the scavenging broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). These results provide confirmed evidence of killer whale predation on white sharks in Australia and the likely selective consumption of the liver, suggesting predations of this nature are more globally prevalent than currently assumed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8271e657aaa4b9c8cba724a2c93d0b4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8271e657aaa4b9c8cba724a2c93d0b42025-01-29T05:08:42ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70786Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in AustraliaIsabella M. M. Reeves0Andrew R. Weeks1Alison V. Towner2Rachael Impey3Jessica J. Fish4Zach S. R. Clark5Paul A. Butcher6Lauren Meyer7David M. Donnelly8Charlie Huveneers9Nicky Hudson10Adam D. Miller11Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC WA) Perth Western Australia AustraliaEnviroDNA Brunswick Victoria AustraliaSchool of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria AustraliaEnviroDNA Brunswick Victoria AustraliaEcoGenetics Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Victoria AustraliaEcoGenetics Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Victoria AustraliaEcoGenetics Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Victoria AustraliaSouthern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide South Australia AustraliaKiller Whales Australia Mornington Victoria AustraliaSouthern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide South Australia AustraliaGunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation Heywood Victoria AustraliaSouthern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide South Australia AustraliaABSTRACT Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been documented to prey on white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), in some cases causing localised shark displacement and triggering ecological cascades. Notably, a series of such predation events have been reported from South Africa over the last decade, with killer whales specifically targeting sharks' liver. However, observations of these interactions are rare, and knowledge of their frequency across the world's oceans remains limited. In October 2023, a 4.7 m (total length) white shark carcass washed ashore in southeastern Australia, coinciding with reports from citizen scientists of killer whales hunting a large, unidentified prey item in the area. Visual inspection of the carcass revealed that the liver, digestive, and reproductive organs were missing, and the presence of four distinctive bite wounds, one of which was characteristic of killer whale liver extraction as seen in South Africa. Genomic analyses performed on swabs taken from the bite wounds confirmed the presence of killer whale DNA in the major bite area, while the other bites were embedded with genetic material from the scavenging broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). These results provide confirmed evidence of killer whale predation on white sharks in Australia and the likely selective consumption of the liver, suggesting predations of this nature are more globally prevalent than currently assumed.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70786AustraliaDNA metabarcodingselective consumptiontop marine predator |
| spellingShingle | Isabella M. M. Reeves Andrew R. Weeks Alison V. Towner Rachael Impey Jessica J. Fish Zach S. R. Clark Paul A. Butcher Lauren Meyer David M. Donnelly Charlie Huveneers Nicky Hudson Adam D. Miller Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia Ecology and Evolution Australia DNA metabarcoding selective consumption top marine predator |
| title | Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia |
| title_full | Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia |
| title_short | Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia |
| title_sort | genetic evidence of killer whale predation on white sharks in australia |
| topic | Australia DNA metabarcoding selective consumption top marine predator |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70786 |
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