The Whale That Ate Jaws

nationalgeographic ^

[JoeProBono]

Off the coast of San Francisco, an unexpected killing challenged the great white shark's supremacy as the ultimate predator when one became prey to a killer whale. Whale-watchers witnessed a stunning act of nature as a killer whale rose to the water's surface with a great white in its mouth and held it there for 15 minutes. Even more amazing, biologist Peter Pyle was nearby and able to get underwater footage of two whales feeding on the shark.

VIDEO

[JoeProBono]

GREAT WHITE VS. KILLER WHALE

Killer whales live in all the world's oceans. But does their overwhelming presence mean they could take on one of the ocean's other top predators, the great white shark?

GREAT WHITE SHARKS

Great white sharks can keep their body temperatures up to 27°F warmer than the water around them. Great whites occasionally surface to check their surroundings. Over the years, nearly 150 great white sharks have been tagged by scientists.

KILLER WHALES

Female killer whales often live ten years longer than males. The color and shape of a dorsal fin can help identify specific killer whales. There has never been a recorded attack on a human by a killer whale in the wild.

CAPTIVE ANIMALS

Only 41 killer whales live in captivity around the world. At Monterey Bay Aquarium, a great white was held in captivity for just under 200 days. This is the longest a great white shark has been kept in captivity. When upside down, sharks typically enter a state called "tonic immobility," meaning they are paralyzed. This state can last for up to 15 minutes. Chemical messengers, called "semiochemicals," might be used by sharks to help them live in their environment.

[JoeProBono]

[James C. Bennett]

Fascinating!

[GSP.FAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDthMGtZKa4 Fonzie Jumps the Shark

[JoeProBono]

Bwahahaha!

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

click on image

"we need a bigger boat"

[wally_bert]

http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/whalias.html

[exDemMom]

During a recent visit to Sea World, watching a show featuring three killer whales, a thought struck me—what kind of person would come up with the idea of taking one of the ocean’s most vicious predators and training it to look harmless and cute? And be successful at it?