1. The raging Dharma shark
In the 1970s, strange things happened to American submarines repeatedly, which caused panic. It turned out that the submarine shell had a sonar deflector cover, which was embedded in the neoprene layer when fixed, and there were dense semi-circular or circular small craters at the junction of the rubber layer, and the oil flowed out along the opening of the hole and stained the nearby seawater with "black smoke miasma". At the same time, the submarine was forced to return to the base for repairs due to constant failure of the power system. At that time, the US-Soviet arms race was raging, and it was once considered a "secret weapon" quietly developed by the Soviet Union.
Later investigations found that the real culprit was the cigar Dharma shark in the deep-water ocean, including the 30 disturbed submarines of the 80s, which were its "masterpieces". The U.S. military then installed high-strength fiberglass on the outer layer of the deflector, and the sonar has never leaked oil since then.
The submarine incident seems to have opened the Pandora's box of Dharma sharks, and it was found that many marine accidents were related to it, and even the initiator was it.
In June 2009, a crash on a Yemeni flight that shocked the world struck the world, killing 152 people in the Indian Ocean. 62 of the 113 bodies later salvaged had circular wounds. At first, these wounds were thought to have been accidental burns from the crash, but later professional identification revealed that the vast majority of the wounds were caused by the bite of a Dharma shark.
In 2018, researchers at Ohio State University followed up 150 blue whales mixed in the waters near New Zealand and found that at least 95% of the blue whales had 1-3 round scars on their bodies, and about 40% of the wounds were blurred with signs of inflammation. Experienced researchers confirmed on the spot that there was no one but the Dharma shark.
2. How the Dharma Shark attacks
In fact, scientists have found that the Dharma shark is more than the above mentioned destructive power, the two overlords recognized in the ocean, the great white shark and the killer whale, are still infested by the Dharma shark, and even some marine life experts compare it to a "low-key king".
There are 3 species of Dharma sharks, the largest number of cigars Dharma sharks and the most familiar ones; the remaining are the Brazilian Dharma Shark and the Lip Dharma Shark, the latter mainly active in the South China Sea. Dharma sharks habitually inhabit deep seas 1,000 meters underwater during the day and float near the surface at night to feed. The Dharma shark is small, cylindrical in length and only 40-55 cm long, which is a standard short and fat body. In addition, the large, large caudal fin and two small dorsal fins of the eyes are its distinctive features.
So how did such a short Dharma shark attack a whale that was tens or hundreds of times larger than it?
The Dharma shark has a light emitter in its abdomen, which contains many symbiotic luminous bacteria that start working at night or when there is insufficient light, and can also fluoresce when the melanocytes in the skin are increased. Scientists have specifically salvaged it from the deep sea to test its brightness, and the light lasted for 3 hours after it came out of the water. The Dharma shark uses this skill to lure prey that feeds everywhere into a net in the deep, under-lit waters, and attacks as soon as it gets close.
The secret weapon of the Dharma shark's attack is different from the whale's open mouth to swallow, but uses the mouth and teeth to first adsorb and then bite, which experts compare to a combination of storm vacuum cleaner + Texas chainsaw.
Dharma sharks first approach their prey, and then their lips are adsorbed to the body of their prey, because the throat of the Dharma shark can create a low-pressure environment, so once adsorbed by the Dharma shark, it is not easy to break free by vigorously shaking. The upper jaw of the Mouth of the Dharma Shark has a row of 19 small and narrow and sharp teeth, and the teeth of the lower jaw are large and hard, and experts point out that the lower teeth of the Dharma Shark are definitely among the best in terms of the proportion of shark size and tooth size.
After the lips of the Dharma shark are adsorbed to the body of the prey, the teeth of the jaw are closed and bitten like serrated raw meat, and then the Dharma shark rotates the bite as a pry point 360 degrees, and continues to bite until the meat is detached with the teeth, leaving a semi-circular, circular wound on the prey, a bit like a round biscuit, so the Dharma shark is replaced by a small biscuit mold shark.
The question is, when whales and other prey are adsorbed by the mouth of the Dharma shark, will not try to get rid of it? For example, rubbing. In fact, the whole process is completed in one go, it only takes 2 seconds, and the prey has no time to resist at all, just like a bird swooping down from a high altitude and clamping down on the swimming fish in the water immediately leaving the water.
Moreover, the entire hunting process of the Dharma shark is not rampage and wanton biting, but full of methods and strategies.
First of all, the goal of the Dharma shark to attack the prey is to eat its flesh, and it does not matter whether the prey is dead or alive. And killing it takes time, energy, and isn't cost-effective. More importantly, only "hunting and killing" can ensure that the Dharma shark has food for a long time, and the idea of harmonious development is also understood by the Dharma shark.
Secondly, the Dharma shark will not be stupid enough to attack only one part of the prey, and the pain of the prey can only resist more intensely, so when the shark bites several times on one side of the shark, the Dharma shark will change the part or run to the other side of the shark to continue to bite and eat meat.
The result is that the Dharma shark, though small, is a nearly non-existent rival in the deep-water ocean. In addition to killer whales and great white sharks, its hunting list includes dolphins, seals, tuna and other marine life.
Perhaps because this bite is too wearing teeth, the Dharma shark has evolved a super ability to change teeth. The general shark changes one tooth at a time, but the Dharma shark replaces all the teeth at once, and the Dharma shark also swallows the replaced teeth, and the study found that the teeth contain the necessary nutrients for the Dharma shark.
The Dharma shark is more like a parasitic shark to be exact, and this seems to tell everyone what seems to be weak, perhaps the most powerful.
Original: Old High