JCU researchers photograph Tiger shark regurgitating dead echidna in North Queensland
In what is believed to be a world first, a shock new photo has been released of a Tiger shark regurgitating the remains of an iconic Australian animal.
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In what is believed to be a world first, a shock new photo has been released of a Tiger shark regurgitating the remains of an iconic Australian animal.
Researchers from James Cook University in North Queensland “got the shock of their lives” after witnessing the shark bringing up a dead echidna in waters of Orpheus Island in Hinchinbrook Shire.
Former JCU PhD student Dr Nicolas Lubitz said he could only assume the three-metre shark had made a meal of the spiky monotreme as it swam in the shallows off the tropical island or between islands as it was sometimes known to do.
“We were quite shocked at what we saw; we really didn’t know what was going on,” he said of the May spectacle.
“When it spat it out, I looked at it and remarked ‘What the hell is that’?”
Dr Lubitz said one of his team said to take a picture, “so I scrambled to get my phone”.
“I managed to only get one picture, but you can see the outline of the echidna in the water.”
He said the fact the echidna was still whole suggested it was a fresh kill by the “decent-sized” shark.
“It’s very rare that they throw up their food but sometimes when they get stressed they can,” he said.
“In this case, I think the echidna must have just felt a bit funny in its throat.”
Dr Lubitz said Tigers were known for their voracious appetites and had been documented chowing down on seabirds, tyres, license plates and even a small TV screen.
“It’s known that Tiger sharks will eat anything. They’re just a scavenger. I’ve seen videos of them eating a rock for no reason.”
He said the shark in question was unharmed during the “bizarre encounter” and was subsequently fitted with an acoustic tracker by the team before being released back into the water.
In another surprising find, a different Tiger shark caught and tagged by the team threw up half a dugong.
“It threw up a big piece of blubber and then a full vertebral column. I think it was a dugong calf it had a go at.”
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Originally published as JCU researchers photograph Tiger shark regurgitating dead echidna in North Queensland
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