A Potential Predation Attempt by a Great White Shark on an Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin

A Potential Predation Attempt by a Great White Shark on an Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin

A live Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) with two bite wounds resulting from a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) encounter was observed from the commercial whale-watching vessel, Whale Whisperer, in Gansbaai on 23 and 24 August 2006. The most severe wound was to the dolphin�...

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Veröffentlicht in:South African journal of wildlife research 2010-10, Vol.40 (2), p.184-187
Hauptverfasser: Wcisel, Michelle, Chivell, Wilfred, Gottfried, Michael D.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Carcharodon carcharias
Cetacea
interspecific interaction
Marine
shark predation
Short Communications
Sousa chinensis
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:A live Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) with two bite wounds resulting from a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) encounter was observed from the commercial whale-watching vessel, Whale Whisperer, in Gansbaai on 23 and 24 August 2006. The most severe wound was to the dolphin's left flank area, the other to the anterior portion of its dorsal ‘hump’. This is the first documented interaction and potential predatory shark attack on any cetacean species in Gansbaai, and is evidence that large great white sharks may opportunistically hunt humpback dolphins in this region of South Africa.
ISSN:0379-4369
0379-4369
DOI:10.3957/056.040.0212