Murder under the Microscope 2014 Online Tasks
Secondary Quiz 4 Top Predators
Great white shark by sharkdiver68 at
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carcharodon_carcharias.jpg
In the ecosystems that we share, humans have a love and hate relationship with the top predators.
Lions, tigers, wolves, dingoes, eagles and sharks inspire both fear and amazement. Humans, or our
livestock, are potential prey but their adaptations that make them successful top predators are a
source of fascination. In many cases our fear overrides our behaviour and top predators have been
killed to the point that they are now listed as endangered species.
The dingo is top predator in many Australian ecosystems, both natural and agricultural. Their pack
hunting behaviour and eerie howling evoke fear, yet they have had a close relationship with
indigenous inhabitants since their arrival. Dingos hunting instincts can be destructive, particularly of
herds of sheep. Recently scientists have done some studies and believe that dingoes do more good
than harm, even to farms.
The dingo arrived in Australia about 4000 years ago. It has been blamed for the decline of the
Tasmanian tiger on the mainland. At present there is plenty of competition when it comes to being a
predator. Foxes, feral cats and dogs are out there in their hundreds. Some believe these smaller
predators do far more damage destroying small native mammals, reptiles and birds than dingoes.
Not only populations of other predators, but also feral herbivores such as rabbits are kept in check
by dingoes. Studies have shown that the activities of dingoes, by reducing the populations of feral
competitors and rabbits enhance the survival of many small and endangered marsupials.
Kangaroos have bred in numbers that are unsustainable, so the dingo’s predatory instincts are to us
a both cruel and kind way of culling.
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Murder under the Microscope 2014 Online Tasks
Another group of top predators that have recently aroused controversy are the sharks. There is a lot
of publicity that results from shark attacks. Western Australia have completed a three month trial of
culling specified shark species after a number of well-publicised fatal attacks. Baited drum lines were
set in seven locations, 170 sharks were caught. Some people argue that we are invading their
territory, and suffer the consequences as a result. Others are concerned about well-being and
confidence of swimmers in popular surfing locations. Some cynics believe tourist dollars are the
driving force. Over 50 sharks have been shot or killed and the program has been hailed a success. Yet
the species that has been most associated with fatal attacks, the great white shark has not been
caught and the tiger shark, that has not been linked to any of the recent fatalities in either Perth or
the south west of Western Australia has had its population reduced by what some people regard as
needless slaughter.
Consider the number of deaths that result from top predators compare to deaths from road
accidents in Australia. You have to wonder at the cost of programs such as shark culling versus the
potential tourist dollar benefits. Fear of the top predators needs to be addressed by more creative
and varied management systems and continued research.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/great-white-shark/
An article arguing about the cull of sharks in Western Australia at http://theconversation.com/fivetake-home-messages-from-was-official-shark-cull-numbers-26381
View the video fo 2013 Eureka prize winner about his research on dingoes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4jNyQ9xPmU&index=3&list=PLEh1S0YpN664wbOOk_HMFX8Fzi
kFZHsp2
Dingo conservation site http://www.dingoconservation.com/dingo-distrib.html
View the video of 2013 Eureka Prize for Science Photography winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDTRU1h6dLM&list=PLEh1S0YpN664wbOOk_HMFX8FzikFZHsp2
&index=4
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