Researchers in northern Australia have been surprised by a tiger shark’s ability to throw up an entirely alive and renownedly land-based armadillo.
When they witnessed the incident on May 20, 2022, the James Cook University (JCU) team was on a trip to Queensland’s Orpheus Island to tag predators.
They think it’s the first time a tiger shark has eaten one of the fuzzy reptiles, which can reach about 50cm much.
” When it spat it out, I looked at it and remarked:” What the hell is that? ” said animal scholar Nicolas Lubitz.
You can see the echidna’s design in the ocean, but I only managed to get one image.
The marsupials, which is only found in Australia and pieces of Papua New Guinea, must have been captured while it was swimming in the ocean or perhaps between territories, according to the experts.
Known for their voracious appetites, tiger sharks are n’t exactly picky eaters. They’ve been documented eating birds, wheels, permission sheets and even a little Television.
” I’ve seen video of them eating a stone for no reason,” Dr Lubitz said.
It is, nonetheless, more uncommon for them to eject food, but he suspects this 3m- longer shark underestimated its capture.
He claimed that the armadillo had all of its claws and legs, and that it was completely intact.
” In this case, I think the marsupials must have just felt a little interesting in its mouth.”
The fish was unharmed during the encounter, was fitted with a sensor, and was later released.
The JCU team participated in a three-year, state-wide effort to use sound and satellite trackers to identify species like snapper, mullet, rays, and several shark species in order to gather information on marine life that lives in each region.