«We really didn't know what was going on»
A tiger shark was spotted off the coast of an Australian island, where it vomited the whole echidna dead. Echidnas, unusual mammals covered in spines, are common in Australia. It is believed that this is the first meeting of this kind between two representatives of the fauna, which scientists have witnessed.
Researchers from James Cook University in North Queensland observed a rare phenomenon when they spotted marine life off Orpheus Island in the region in May 2022, the university said in a press release on Thursday.
“We were shocked by what we saw. We really didn't understand what was going on,” marine biologist Nicholas Lubitz, a former graduate student at the university and a Biopixel Oceans Foundation researcher, said in a press release.
“When she spat it out, I looked at it and asked, “ What the hell is this?» Someone said to take a picture, so I reached for my phone,” he continued, adding: “I only managed to take one picture, but you can see the outline of the echidna in the water.”
According to Lubitz, the echidna was dead and “completely intact,” with “all of its spines and legs” when it was regurgitated by the 10-foot-long (3-meter) shark.
He said tiger sharks “rarely” vomit up their food, although they may do so when stressed. “In this case, I think it must have been the echidna that felt something strange in its throat.”
The shark was uninjured in the encounter, according to a press release, and was released back into the water by the team after being fitted with an acoustic tracker, CNN reported.
Another shark the team caught and tagged also “unexpectedly” regurgitated, throwing out half of a dugong, according to the press release. The dugong is a herbivorous marine animal most commonly found in Australia.
“She threw away a large piece of blubber and then the entire vertebral column,” Lubitz said, believing the remains were those of a baby dugong.
Tiger sharks have an insatiable appetite, have a habit of rummaging through garbage and are known as cannibals, CNN notes. They eat other sharks, fish, sea turtles and birds, as well as garbage, including coal, cans, clothing and bones.
According to the press release, they have even been recorded swallowing license plates, small television screens and tires. “I've seen videos of them eating a rock for no reason,” Lubitz added.
Tiger sharks are found in warm oceans around the world. In May 2023, a kayaker fishing in the shallow waters off the windward shore of Oahu, Hawaii, captured the frightening moment when an animal crashed into his boat.