The mystery is finally solved! Over the last few weeks, Naude and Denzil have rescues 2 seals with what they thought were stingray spikes sticking out of their necks. A little while ago they came across this guy on the beach, and they finally had an answer.This young male cape fur seal had a complete young St. Joseph Shark hanging from his neck!
The St. Joseph shark is a member of the chimera family, and is very similar the the ratfish found in the United States. The shark has a large poisonous barb extending through its dorsal fin, and it is this thats getting stuck in the seals.The fur seals don't usually hunt this species, but because of the big die-off of seals we had due to starvation, the seals are getting desperate and targeting fish they would not usually for. While trying to break up the sharks into bite size chunks on the surface, they are getting "spiked", and because of the one-way bards on those spikes, they often break off and stay there.As soon as this seal was freed to proceeded to catch a much bigger seal in their net.
This seal was stuck in thick commercial fishing line, but luckily was freed by the rescuers.
The St. Joseph shark is a member of the chimera family, and is very similar the the ratfish found in the United States. The shark has a large poisonous barb extending through its dorsal fin, and it is this thats getting stuck in the seals.The fur seals don't usually hunt this species, but because of the big die-off of seals we had due to starvation, the seals are getting desperate and targeting fish they would not usually for. While trying to break up the sharks into bite size chunks on the surface, they are getting "spiked", and because of the one-way bards on those spikes, they often break off and stay there.As soon as this seal was freed to proceeded to catch a much bigger seal in their net.
This seal was stuck in thick commercial fishing line, but luckily was freed by the rescuers.
