Photos: Great Whites "Take Turns" Feeding on Dead Whale

Picky Eaters

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Taking a careful test bite, a great white seeks out a dead whale's energy-rich blubber before tucking in, as seen on September 10.

"The sharks knew exactly what they wanted," Save Our Seas's Kock said.

"If they took a mouthful of muscle instead of calorific blubber, they often spat it out," she added.

(Related photos: "'Shark Elevator' Lifts Great Whites From Sea.")

Published October 4, 2010

Good Table Manners

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Two great whites peacefully feed side by side on a whale carcass off the coast of South Africa on September 10.

"We saw up to four great whites feeding at the same time," said Save Our Seas's Kock.

Such group cooperation has been observed before in great whites, according to Peter Klimley, a marine biologist from the University of California, Davis, who did not witness the South African feeding event.

Klimley saw similar behavior among great whites eating a dead humpback whale off California in 2000, he said.

Published October 4, 2010

Blubber Connoisseur

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

With a single bite, great whites can tell blubber (pictured, a shark chows on blubber on September 10) from undesirable fodder such as muscle, wet suit, surfboard, or kayak.

That's why South African shark feeding "provides more support for an idea I had for why people are often [bitten] by sharks, then spit out right away," UC-Davis's Klimley said: "Humans don't have that fatty layer that seals and whales have," he said.

(Related: "Great White Shark Attacks: Defanging the Myths.")

Published October 4, 2010

Taking Turns

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

The larger great whites—those over 11 feet (4 meters) long—moved in first to grab the best mouthfuls of the dead whale, seen on September 10.

Smaller sharks waited their turn for several days, but there was still plenty to eat, Save Our Seas's Kock said.

"Some of the sharks showed up quite skinny, but went away with bulging bellies," she said.

(Also see "Great White Shark Filmed Breaching at Night -- A First.")

Published October 4, 2010

"Recycling Life"

Photograph from Barcroft/Fame Pictures

The dead whale—which would be a safety hazard if it washed up on a populated beach—was towed to a well-known shark feeding spot so that the fish could get to work (pictured on September 10), Save Our Seas's Kock said.

"The sharks are recycling life," Kock said.

"By clearing up dead and decaying animals, they play a vital role in the balance of the ecosystem."

(See more shark pictures.)

Published October 4, 2010