Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event
Oceanic whitetip sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, are known to be common scavengers; however, observations of C. longimanus scavenging events are extremely rare due to their classification as an oceanic pelagic species, typically solitary in nature. On April 9, 2024, over 8.5 h, at least nine C. lon...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Fish Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frish.2025.1520995/full |
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| author | Molly Scott Molly Scott Olivia Miller Devon Stapleton Kayleigh Grant |
| author_facet | Molly Scott Molly Scott Olivia Miller Devon Stapleton Kayleigh Grant |
| author_sort | Molly Scott |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oceanic whitetip sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, are known to be common scavengers; however, observations of C. longimanus scavenging events are extremely rare due to their classification as an oceanic pelagic species, typically solitary in nature. On April 9, 2024, over 8.5 h, at least nine C. longimanus were observed scavenging from a heavily degraded carcass off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, USA. Five tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) were also observed scavenging on the same carcass. Simultaneous feeding within and between species occurred; however, no agonistic or aggressive interactions were observed. Although a small snapshot, this stochastic event sheds new light on trophic relationships and social interactions among aquatic apex predators that do not normally overlap in space and time. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d9efa484e944a7da6a718ff59f044ed |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2813-9097 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Fish Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d9efa484e944a7da6a718ff59f044ed2025-08-20T03:22:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Fish Science2813-90972025-05-01310.3389/frish.2025.15209951520995Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging eventMolly Scott0Molly Scott1Olivia Miller2Devon Stapleton3Kayleigh Grant4Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kane'ohe, HI, United StatesInternational Business Services and Sales, Silver Spring, MD, United StatesHawaiian Adventures Kona, Kailua-Kona, HI, United StatesDepartment of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources, Protected Species Program (PSP), Honolulu, HI, United StatesKaimana Ocean Safari, Kailua-Kona, HI, United StatesOceanic whitetip sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, are known to be common scavengers; however, observations of C. longimanus scavenging events are extremely rare due to their classification as an oceanic pelagic species, typically solitary in nature. On April 9, 2024, over 8.5 h, at least nine C. longimanus were observed scavenging from a heavily degraded carcass off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, USA. Five tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) were also observed scavenging on the same carcass. Simultaneous feeding within and between species occurred; however, no agonistic or aggressive interactions were observed. Although a small snapshot, this stochastic event sheds new light on trophic relationships and social interactions among aquatic apex predators that do not normally overlap in space and time.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frish.2025.1520995/fulloceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)scavengingcarcassfeeding aggregation |
| spellingShingle | Molly Scott Molly Scott Olivia Miller Devon Stapleton Kayleigh Grant Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event Frontiers in Fish Science oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging carcass feeding aggregation |
| title | Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event |
| title_full | Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event |
| title_fullStr | Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event |
| title_short | Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event |
| title_sort | novel observations of an oceanic whitetip carcharhinus longimanus and tiger shark galeocerdo cuvier scavenging event |
| topic | oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging carcass feeding aggregation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frish.2025.1520995/full |
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