A dead sperm whale floats off Sydney. (symbol image)Image: Shutterstock
A stranded sperm whale carcass south of the Australian metropolis of Sydney has become a feast for great white sharks and bull sharks.
April 26, 2026, 08:28April 26, 2026, 08:28
The affected beaches have been closed, Australian wildlife and coastal rescue authorities announced on Sunday. According to media reports, the sperm whale’s eight-meter-long, 25-ton carcass was discovered on a wave-washed rock on Era Beach in the Royal National Park on Saturday.
Great white sharks and bull sharks have been spotted there, said Brendon Neilly, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Department representative for the region. This is completely natural, he told the AFP news agency. The whale’s carcass is reintegrated into the food chain by the sharks. Game wardens worked on strategies to dispose of the carcass. However, that will likely take until Tuesday, Neilly said.
Local swimming rescue organization Surf Life Saving NSW issued a warning saying all beaches in the Royal National Park were closed due to “increased shark activity”.
According to a database that tracks encounters between these predators and humans, almost 1,300 shark incidents have been recorded in Australia since 1791, of which more than 260 were fatal.