In a remarkable turn of events, researchers in Australia claim to have been the fortunate witnesses to a shark disgorging an entire echidna.
This astonishing incident unfolded during a tagging expedition led by marine biologist Nicolas Lubitz and his team off the shores of Queensland’s Orpheus Island in May 2022, as outlined in a press release from James Cook University on Thursday.
Following the successful capture of a tiger shark, the researchers were taken aback when the predator regurgitated what appeared to be an echidna – a spiny, egg-laying mammal indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. Lubitz expressed his astonishment in the press release, exclaiming, “What the hell is that?” upon witnessing the fully intact echidna, complete with spines and limbs, indicating it had been consumed relatively recently.
The photographic evidence captured by Lubitz showcases the echidna’s body submerged beneath the water. Despite their terrestrial nature, echidnas are surprisingly adept swimmers, as noted by echidna expert Tahlia Perry in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in 2019.
Lubitz speculated that the unfortunate echidna was likely traversing between islands in search of sustenance or mates when it fell victim to the jaws of a formidable tiger shark.
Tiger sharks, notorious for their indiscriminate eating habits, have been documented consuming peculiar items such as rocks for no apparent reason, as remarked by Lubitz in the press release.
While the stress of capture by the research team may have prompted the shark to regurgitate the echidna, James Cook University assured that the shark emerged from the encounter unscathed and was released after being fitted with a tracking device.