After a dolphin carcass ignited a major social media discourse, many are now wondering if the dolphin was indeed eaten by a shark.

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Over the weekend, a half-eaten dolphin was washed ashore on a beach in North Wildwood. According to NBC10, the half-eaten dolphin was discovered by 44-year-old Karissa Kerns when she was visiting the 4^th Street Beach with her mother and 4-year-old son. It was believed to be eaten by a sand tiger shark.

As the incident about shark attacks rises, with the most recent one allegedly involving the half-eaten dolphin in North Wildwood, we are sharing 5 facts you need to know about these underwater predators and prey.

1. Dolphins are usually apex predators in the ocean environment. However, All About Wildlife revealed that certain larger and more aggressive shark species such as great white sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks, can sometimes prey on young dolphins.

2. Dolphins usually attack sharks, as they consider these aggressive sea hunters as their natural enemy. And in an attempt to injure or kill them, dolphins usually use their snouts in ramming the sharks in the gills.

3. The consumption of sharks is an uncommon trait among most dolphin species. However, two dolphin species are known that are eating and hunting sharks. As per Whale Facts, the killer whale or orca, and the false killer whales have been observed hunting sharks when they are hungry or when their food supply is scarce. Killer whales are the largest while false killer whales are the third largest species among the dolphin family.

4. Killer whales often attack sharks in groups. They usually use their team-oriented hunting strategies to capture their prey while also minimizing the chaos of being injured. And though most species of dolphin have functional teeth, only a few species use their teeth to tear their prey apart so that they can consume it more easily.

5. On the question about who gets to eat the sharks and the dolphins, the primary answer is humans. Yes, human beings are the chief predators of dolphins and sharks. In many countries like Japan and China, thousands of bottlenose dolphins and an estimated 100 million of sharks are slaughtered each year to feed consumer demand for their meat.  

Tagsshark, Dolphin, bottlenose dolphins, predator, Prey, North Wildwood