Oshaka abakhulu abamhlophe esiqhingini sase-Mexico sase-Guadalupe ngezinye izikhathi bayazipholela ndawonye - kanti nakuba kungewona umncintiswano wokuduma, abanye bangase babe nomphakathi nje omncane kunabanye.
Usosayensi wasolwandle waseFlorida International University (FIU) u-Yannis Papastamatiou kanye nethimba elisebenzisanayo labacwaningi bafuna ukwembula ezinye zezimpicabadala zoshaka abamhlophe abaqoqana ngezikhathi ezithile zonyaka esiqhingini sase-Guadalupe. Bathole oshaka bejwayele ukunamathelana lapho bezulazula befuna ukudla.
"Ososeshini abaningi bebemfushane, kodwa bekukhona oshaka lapho sithole khona izinhlangano ezinde kakhulu, okungenzeka kube yizinhlangano zomphakathi," kusho uPapastamatiou, umbhali oholayo wocwaningo. "Imizuzu engamashumi ayisikhombisa yisikhathi eside sokubhukuda nomunye ushaka omhlophe."
Ngokuvamile, ukutadisha izilwane ezinjalo ezifihlekile kuhilela uhlobo oluthile lwethuluzi lokulandelela. Nokho, ukuze batadishe laboshaka abamhlophe, abacwaningi babedinga ithegi engcono kakhulu. Bahlanganise ubuchwepheshe obuhlukene obutholakalayo kwezohwebo baba "i-super social tag" efakwe ikhamera yevidiyo noxhaxha lwezinzwa ezilandela ukusheshisa, ukujula, isiqondiso nokunye. Okwabeka “umphakathi” kule thegi kwakuyizamukeli ezikhethekile ezazikwazi ukubona abanye oshaka abamakiwe eduze.
Labo abanye oshaka abamakiwe babewumphumela womsebenzi wangaphambili owawenziwe umbhali wocwaningo uMauricio Hoyos-Padilla ukuze alandelele ukunyakaza koshaka abamhlophe esiqhingini sase-Guadalupe. Cishe u-30 kuya ku-37 walabo shaki babonakala kumathegi angcono kakhulu omphakathi womunye ushaka omhlophe.
Oshaka abamhlophe abayisithupha esikhathini esiyiminyaka emine baphawulwa. Idatha ibonisa ukuthi bancamela ukuba ngamaqembu namalungu abobulili obufanayo.
Uma oshaka babehlanganyela nanoma yikuphi okunye ukufana, kwakungenxa yokuthi ngamunye wabo wayehluke kangakanani. Ushaka oyedwa owagcina ithegi yakhe amahora angama-30 kuphela wayenenani eliphakeme kakhulu lezinhlangano - oshaka abayi-12. Omunye ushaka wayenethegi izinsuku ezinhlanu, kodwa wachitha isikhathi nabanye oshaka ababili kuphela.
Baphinde babonisa amaqhinga ahlukene okuzingela. Ezinye zazimatasa emanzini angashoni, ezinye ekujuleni okukhulu. Abanye babematasa kakhulu emini, abanye ebusuku.
Inselele yokuzingela ibonakale ezithombeni zevidiyo. Kwalandela ufudu olumhlophe. Khona-ke, ufudu lwakubona lwabaleka. Kwalandela umlungu omkhulu. I-sealion yayibona, yadansa izihibe izungeza ushaka futhi yabaleka. I-Papastamatiou iveza ukuthi lokhu akubona oshaka abamhlophe kuphela, ngoba izilwane ezizingelayo aziphumeleli isikhathi esiningi.
Yingakho ukwakha izinhlangano zomphakathi kungase kubaluleke kakhulu. I-Papastamatiou ifunde impilo yenhlalo yezinye izinhlobo zoshaka futhi yaqaphela ukuxhumana phakathi komphakathi kanye nekhono lokusebenzisa impumelelo yokuzingela omunye ushaka. Kungenzeka okufanayo nasesiqhingini saseGuadalupe.
"Ubuchwepheshe manje bungavula izimpilo eziyimfihlo zalezi zilwane," kusho uPapastamatiou.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- Florida International University (FIU) marine scientist Yannis Papastamatiou and a collaborative team of researchers wanted to uncover some of the mysteries of the white sharks that gather seasonally around Guadalupe Island.
- Papastamatiou has studied the social lives of other shark species and noticed a link between sociality and the ability to take advantage of another shark’s hunting success.
- Those other tagged sharks were the result of previous work the study’s co-author Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla had done to track movements of white sharks around Guadalupe Island.
