Shark Week 2020 | 'Great White Serial Killer Extinction': Are sharks causing otters to vanish in California?
Sea otters off the coast of California are now facing the threat of extinction since a large fraction of their population is being wiped out by shark attacks. Scientists are left baffled by the wave of fatal attacks on sea otters by the oceanic predator, despite them not having any real interest in feeding on the furry animals. This year's 'Shark Week' marathon on Discovery Channel is drawing focus to this inexplicable killing spree that is possibly pushing sea otters in California waters to the brink of extinction. Investigators conduct experiments and dig deeper into the mystery surrounding the sea otter massacre.
Floating carcasses of sea otters retrieved from California's Morro Bay sporting large bite marks inflicted by sharks have had scientists perplexed for years. While sharks acting out its aggression by killing other animals doesn't arouse much confusion, the large number of otters that are being killed by Californian sharks is skyrocketing at an alarming rate and conservationists are concerned. Researchers have been able to determine the otters' cause of death from the bite marks that match those of the Great Whites, while several dead otters have also been found with shark teeth embedded in their fur and flesh. But scientists are stumped as to why they are being preyed upon since they hail from the skunk family and don't taste good to sharks.
Sea otters were once a dwindling population in the North Pacific and decades of conservation work fostered their growth. Great Whites eat fish when they are younger, but as they grow new teeth, they start eating bigger marine animals. Their palatable meal preference is calorie-dense and blubbery prey like seals or sea lions. Sea otters are mostly muscly, skin, bones and luxurious fur and the sharks don't actually eat them. They recoil after munching on a mouthful of fur instead of their usual fatty meal, and simply float away. But they leave behind mortal wounds on the otters. This is now a common occurrence off Californian beaches.
There are many theories surrounding the reasons behind the attack. Scientists presume that otters are most certainly victims of mistaken identity. Sharks are notorious for biting things by mistake, especially if the accidental victim's silhouette resembles their usual prey. That is also why they wind up biting surfboards and people. This fatal attraction has nothing to do with feeding. Over the course of 15 years, between 2000 and 2015, some 1,000 shark-bitten dead otters turned up off the California coast. Scientists also concur that Great Whites throughout history have probably always bitten a few otters by mistake, and a 1980 study identified similar earlier incidents as well.
A second theory proposes that the reason behind such a sudden spike in shark attacks on otter is the success of the conservation from recent years that has led to increases in both Great Whites and otter populations. Thus, encounters between them are more likely. An alternative theory also says that sharks are being prompted to migrate further north because of climate change, resulting in them infiltrating otter habitat.