Great White Shark hunting techniques

[rowe@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu (Mickey Rowe)]

Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Rob Meyerson) writes:

> Many people suggest that _T. rex_ hunting style may be similar to a
> great white shark: a quick run in, make a huge bite, then wait for
> the animal to weaken enough so it can safely move in to dispatch
> it's prey.

According to an article I read a year or two ago in _American
Scientist_, that's not quite the way that Great Whites attack, at
least not when eating their preferred prey (pinnipeds).  Many hours of
observation of beaches in the Pacific Northwest region of the
U.S. indicate that the sharks typically find a pinniped (don't know if
the sharks care whether or not that's a diphyletic assemblage ;-) near
the surface of the water, grab it from below and bite down hard as
they descend back into the depths.  As they descend they leave a trail
of blood, and their prey dies due to this rapid exsanguination
(i.e. loss of blood).  The sharks will then release the animal,
allowing its now dead body to float back to the surface where the
shark will return to feed on it.

I don't think this method of feeding would work for a terrestrial
animal.  On the other hand, perhaps the sharks behave differently with
whales... 

-- 
Mickey Rowe     (rowe@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu)