On a recent expedition to tag sharks near Orpheus Island in Queensland, researchers from James Cook University had an unexpected encounter with a tiger shark. The team was astonished when the shark regurgitated a fully intact echidna, a creature that is known to inhabit parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The moment the shark spit out the echidna was described as surprising and baffling by Nicolas Lubitz, a shark researcher who was present at the time. He managed to capture an image of the echidna floating in the water after being expelled from the shark’s mouth.
Tiger sharks are notorious for their indiscriminate eating habits and have been documented consuming a wide range of objects, including seabirds, tyres, license plates, and even a small TV. While it is rare for them to regurgitate food, Dr. Lubitz suspects that the 3m-long shark may have underestimated its catch in this instance. Despite the unusual encounter, the shark was unharmed and later fitted with a tracker before being released back into the water.
The JCU team is part of a larger initiative that spans three years to tag various marine species using acoustic and satellite trackers. This project aims to collect data on the marine life inhabiting the area and provide valuable insights into their behaviors and movements.
