Heterodontus galeatus sharks eating various urchins

It has been thought until now that there were few or no predators capable of handling very large urchins. Lobsters were widely accepted as the key predator and this information has informed management strategies to control exploding sea urchin numbers which threaten our temperate reefs. A camera was set up in a lobster den and sea urchins were strategically placed in it. Surprisingly, the majority of the sea urchins were eaten – not by lobsters – but by sharks. Footage hand recorded by University of Newcastle PhD student, Jeremy Day. Learn more: Follow us on social media: Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: @uni_newcastle LinkedIn: Twitter: CRICOS provider code: 00109J