Great white shark, split in two, found on Australian beach

A great white shark, discovered dead on a beach in Victoria's southwest, is believed to have been torn apart by a pod of killer whales, reported The Daily Mail. The carcass, found near Cape Bridgewater west of Portland, appeared as though it had been violently ripped in half.

Local fisherman Ben Johnstone said that he rushed to the beach after a friend told him of the discovery. “I got a tip-off that it might be out there. I [had] no idea what had happened,” Johnstone told Daily Mail.

Johnstone believes that orcas, or killer whales, may have attacked the great white shark while searching for food. He mentioned that the orcas were seen in the area a few days before the shark washed up. When he arrived at the scene, he noted that the shark's carcass was still relatively fresh.

“They [killer whales] do eat the livers out of... white sharks, that's the only part of it they eat,” he said. “The head and pretty much everything else [was left] pretty much intact... they just want the livers.”

Fearsome behaviour

Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their remarkable intelligence and cooperative hunting strategies. In recent years, there have been several reports of killer whales exhibiting a rather fearsome behaviour – attacking and potentially preying on great white sharks, which are typically seen as apex predators of the ocean.

These instances have drawn the attention of marine researchers and enthusiasts, as they highlight the complex interactions in the ocean's food chain.

After the discovery of the shark's carcass, it was collected for further investigation, and information and samples were shared with experts. Flinders University trophic ecologist, Lauren Meyer, explained that it's likely a killer whale attacked the shark to extract its liver. This behaviour is in line with the selective eating habits of killer whales.

"We're unsure why the liver is so tasty," Dr Meyer told Yahoo News. "It could be really high in calories so it might be the most efficient organ for them to eat, or they could be after specific nutrients that are found only in shark livers."

Providing insight into the possible scenario, Dr Meyer said, "What appears to have happened is multiple killer whales have grabbed onto the shark and split the belly open and that is what you see with that tearing pattern right under its pectoral fins. Tearing the belly open allowed the liver, which is buoyant, to float out of the gap in the shark so the killer whales can just eat the liver and leave the rest of the shark," she explained.

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