How to Kill Another Shark: A First Inside Look at a Potential Hunting Strategy of the Galapagos Shark

Abstract

Background: Close-up videos of sharks foraging on other live sharks are rare, especially when it comes to footage of the entire duration of an event. Objective: Our goal was to present an in-depth analysis involving a Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, foraging on a whitetip reef shark, Triaenodon obesus. Method: A frame by frame video examination was used to highlight the different aspects of this bout. Results: Several behavioral characteristics, including the somewhat cryptic approach, the extensive shaking once the Galapagos shark had the whitetip reef shark between its jaws, and devouring tail-first, stand out in this event. Conclusion: The entire act appeared very smooth, indicating that this bout, or at least parts thereof, may represent a common hunting strategy for Galapagos sharks.