11/24/2023 0 Comments Are great whites ambush predators![]() ![]() The sharks also reduced their surfacing to better ambush attack turtles. When hunting Cape fur seals off Seal Island, South Africa, the shark will ambush it. The tiger sharks, however, modified their behaviors, moving into areas where the turtles are the most abundant: nesting sites off the Carolinas. The hunting technique of the white shark varies with the species it hunts. But as it turns out, the sea turtles didn’t alter their surfacing behaviors when shark–turtle overlap was high in the summer. Based on the "landscape of fear" model, turtles should be reducing their exposure in times of increased habitat overlap with sharks. Using satellite tracking to study the movement patterns of the two species relative to each other would allow the team to see if turtles modify their behaviors accordingly. In addition to their darkly-pigmented backs and shell-breaking teeth, tiger sharks also have specialized eyes for easy detection of turtles resting at the surface. But in the summertime, it’s flipped: Turtles increase their surfacing activity to nest and forage, while stealthy sharks lurk below. The cold water lowers the metabolism of turtles so that they stay closer to the sea floor where they’re less vulnerable meanwhile, sharks surface more to take advantage of warmer, shallower water. During winter months in the Atlantic, there’s little overlap between the two species. To investigate, a team led by University of Miami’s Neil Hammerschlag bolted satellite tags to the dorsal fins of large tiger sharks ( Galeocerdo cuvier) and glued the tags to the shells of adult female loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta) after they finished laying eggs on the beach. However, what constitutes a social action can be far more subtle than coordinating an attack, according to Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist specializing in predators. Sharks are not thought of traditionally as social animals, who coordinate ambush attacks on prey. But does this hold for interactions in vast, open marine systems with wide-ranging, highly mobile species? The solitary depiction of Great White sharks is in question. According to this model, as an animal's landscape changes from low to high risk of predation, prey species will alter their behavior. Tasmanian devils, for example, keep brushtail possums from spending too much time looking for fruits on the ground. Predators are really good at creating what are called "landscapes of fear." They force prey animals to weigh the need to eat against the need to avoid being eaten. The sharks, however, do modify their behavior: They know when to move toward turtle-abundant shores. Researchers studying this predator-prey relationship were surprised to find that the turtles don’t seem to alter their surfacing behavior to avoid shark attacks when the risk is high. Great whites have been hunted for their jaws, fins (to make shark fin soup), and meat. Great whites are also a vulnerable species with a population of fewer than 3,500 individuals worldwide. Great whites are known for their size, powerful jaws, and sharp teeth. In the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, tiger sharks are fierce ambush predators with serrated teeth and darkly-hued backs that help them to stay incognito as they hunt surfacing sea turtles from below. This species of shark is one of the most fearsome predators in the sea. ![]()
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