White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.

Scavenging, a result of a temporary pulse of resources, occurs in virtually all ecosystems containing carnivores, and is an important energy transfer pathway that can impact ecosystem structure and function, and this ecological significance has largely been considered from a terrestrial standpoint;...

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Autores principales:	Chris Fallows, Austin J Gallagher, Neil Hammerschlag
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e6cf214b9dfc4cedbaa7b983f6907e99
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e6cf214b9dfc4cedbaa7b983f6907e992021-11-18T07:50:05ZWhite sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0060797https://doaj.org/article/e6cf214b9dfc4cedbaa7b983f6907e992013-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23585850/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Scavenging, a result of a temporary pulse of resources, occurs in virtually all ecosystems containing carnivores, and is an important energy transfer pathway that can impact ecosystem structure and function, and this ecological significance has largely been considered from a terrestrial standpoint; however, little is known about the role of scavenging in shaping the behavioral ecology of marine species, specifically apex predators. Here we present findings from multiple opportunistic observations of white sharks scavenging on whale carcasses in False Bay, South Africa. Observations of white sharks scavenging over successive days provided evidence of strategic and selective scavenging by this species. Moreover, extended daily observations permitted recordings of unique social, aggregative, and feeding behaviors. We further compare these data against observations of natural predation by sharks on seals in the study area. We discuss these data in relation to environmental conditions, shark social interactions, migration patterns, whale biology, and behaviorally-mediated trophic cascades. While the appearance of a whale carcass is largely a stochastic event, we propose that white shark scavenging on whales may represent an underestimated, yet significant component to the overall foraging ecology of this species, especially as individuals attain sexual maturity.Chris FallowsAustin J GallagherNeil HammerschlagPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 8, Iss 4, p e60797 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Chris Fallows Austin J Gallagher Neil Hammerschlag White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
description	Scavenging, a result of a temporary pulse of resources, occurs in virtually all ecosystems containing carnivores, and is an important energy transfer pathway that can impact ecosystem structure and function, and this ecological significance has largely been considered from a terrestrial standpoint; however, little is known about the role of scavenging in shaping the behavioral ecology of marine species, specifically apex predators. Here we present findings from multiple opportunistic observations of white sharks scavenging on whale carcasses in False Bay, South Africa. Observations of white sharks scavenging over successive days provided evidence of strategic and selective scavenging by this species. Moreover, extended daily observations permitted recordings of unique social, aggregative, and feeding behaviors. We further compare these data against observations of natural predation by sharks on seals in the study area. We discuss these data in relation to environmental conditions, shark social interactions, migration patterns, whale biology, and behaviorally-mediated trophic cascades. While the appearance of a whale carcass is largely a stochastic event, we propose that white shark scavenging on whales may represent an underestimated, yet significant component to the overall foraging ecology of this species, especially as individuals attain sexual maturity.
format	article
author	Chris Fallows Austin J Gallagher Neil Hammerschlag
author_facet	Chris Fallows Austin J Gallagher Neil Hammerschlag
author_sort	Chris Fallows
title	White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
title_short	White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
title_full	White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
title_fullStr	White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
title_full_unstemmed	White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
title_sort	white sharks (carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/e6cf214b9dfc4cedbaa7b983f6907e99
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White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) scavenging on whales and its potential role in further shaping the ecology of an apex predator.

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