According to their results recently published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, the culprit is clear: a killer whale fatally assaulted the over-15-foot-long shark, then proceeded to devour its innards. While it most likely zeroed-in on the nutrient-rich liver, multiple scavengers also got in on the meal.

Recent findings used wildlife forensics and citizen science data to provide the first confirmed evidence of killer whale predation on white sharks in Australia.

Based on DNA analysis from the bite wounds on the carcass of a large white shark washed ashore near Portland in Victoria in 2023, the Flinders University-led study identified that killer whales were responsible for consuming the mid-section containing the nutritionally rich liver.

Great white sharks are washing up dead on beaches with enlarged brains in what is becoming a spiralling marine mystery.