The monster that destroyed Megalodon is being slaughtered by a more fearsome species

Research just published in Scientific Reports has confirmed the endangered status of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) resident in the waters off San Francisco. The reason is that another species suddenly "changed the menu", turning to hunt the largest of the great white sharks.

Before that, great white sharks still held the "throne" in the food chain here and in most of the world's seas, as they did for hundreds of millions of years.

The "sea monster" tragically died, washed up on the shores of San Francisco

The shark is a species that predates the dinosaurs, surviving despite several mass extinctions. A recent study shows that the great white shark may be the most dangerous species of the shark family, having "squeezed" the super shark Megalodon so much that it became extinct because it couldn't compete in the battle for dominance. food.

However, as noted by a team led by marine ecologist Salvador Jorgensen from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, great white sharks in this area are being washed ashore in a state that has lost their livers, even even heart.

Those are not weak in the herd, some have a body length of up to 5.5 m, showing the terrifying power of the killer.

Monitoring results show that the carnage was so devastating that elephant seals - which are eaten by great white sharks - have proliferated in the area because they are no longer killed.

The study pointed directly to the appearance and unusual behavior of a school of killer whales - also "natural enemies" of great white sharks. Although they still attack sharks from time to time, this is the first time that researchers have seen such a deliberate and catastrophic slaughter of sharks, targeting only the nutrient-rich liver. Killer whales usually eat smaller fish, occasionally eating seals.

According to Science Alert, this result comes from the feat of tracking 165 GPS-tagged great white sharks between 2006 and 2013, as well as 27 years of data on killer whales, great whites and great whites. elephant seal.

According to Dr. Jorgensen, the strange behavior of these killer whales shows the unpredictable variation of the food chain. This form of interaction between top predators has been recorded on land, but data on the ocean world is rare.

"If this happens too often, it could take us a little longer to find out," said Dr. Jorgensen.