"Were stunned"

Tiger shark chokes up echidna next to researchers

(Bild: James Cook University/Niclas Lubitz)

A tiger shark has astonished Australian researchers by regurgitating an echidna (marked red in the picture above) - by no means a typical shark prey item - in front of them.

Scientists from James Cook University in North Queensland were tagging marine animals when a three-meter-long tiger shark regurgitated a dead echidna, also known as an Australian echidna, in front of them. The spiny egg-laying mammal lives on land and is therefore by no means a typical prey animal of sharks.

"We were pretty stunned by what we saw," said scientist Nicolas Lubitz. "When it spit it out, I looked at it and said, 'What the hell is that?" Lubitz added that he could only imagine that the tiger shark had grabbed the echidna as it swam through the shallow water between two islands.

Echidna spat out whole
As the shark spat out the echidna whole, it can be assumed that the fish had eaten the spiny animal shortly beforehand. According to the scientist, the curious incident took place back in May 2022, but the tiger shark survived the whole adventure unscathed and was released back into the sea after Lubitz and his colleagues fitted it with a tracking transmitter.

"Tiger sharks eat everything," explained Lubitz. "I've seen videos of them eating a stone for no reason." However, an echidna is probably an unusual meal even for a tiger shark. "I guess the echidna felt a bit strange in its throat," the researcher commented on the incident.

Over 800 sharks fitted with tracking transmitters
Lubitz fitted a total of 812 sharks, rays and other fish with tracking transmitters over four years as part of the research project in order to learn more about their migratory movements and other behaviors.