1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.BZ 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:03,680 NARRATOR: Hidden amid the vast blue expanse 3 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:08,480 of the South Pacific lies Norfolk Island. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.BZ 5 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,760 Once the most feared penal colony in the British Empire, 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,680 today its remote waters draw in visitors 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:17,800 of another kind. 8 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:22,200 Sharks. ADAM: woah, tail slap! 9 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:23,600 NARRATOR: Year after year, 10 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,760 a wide variety of sharks converge on this isolated 11 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:32,000 rock patrolling for resources. 12 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:36,400 But which species is king of this shark island? 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,000 LAUREN: Oh my gosh. 14 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,640 NARRATOR: It's summer on Norfolk island. 15 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,280 And as the waters around this ancient volcano begin to warm 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,680 beneath the surface, a battleground is stirring. 17 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,200 An army of giant Tiger sharks are on the move. 18 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:10,280 LAUREN: Looks like they're back. 19 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,040 ADAM: That's a lot of detections. 20 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:13,520 LAUREN: That's at least twenty. 21 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,720 NARRATOR: Shark experts Lauren Meyer, Adam Barnett 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,680 and Charlie Huveneers 23 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:20,680 have been studying the island's Tigers 24 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,080 for the past six years. 25 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:25,600 Attaching over forty individuals 26 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,400 with satellite tags, they've discovered, 27 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,720 every year, these apex predators travel over a thousand miles 28 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,760 across the Pacific to reach this isolated island. 29 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:42,160 Coming from as far afield as Fiji and New Caledonia. 30 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,280 To join a host of other shark species 31 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,280 around Norfolk Island's crowded shores. 32 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,000 LAUREN: The sharks start arriving in early spring, 33 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,280 and stay through late autumn. 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,480 But our big question is still why? 35 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,920 Why come from so far to such a tiny island? 36 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:03,160 And what happens when so many sharks descend on one place? 37 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,120 NARRATOR: To help solve the mystery, 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,000 the team needs to get eyes and ears underwater. 39 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,640 Something easier said than done, in these shark-filled seas. 40 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,400 CHARLIE: If you see the Tiger Sharks 41 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,640 you guys will have to decide on when is the safest to come up. 42 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,440 If that happens, Lauren's got her shark shield, 43 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,600 so get close together, and kind of face each other, 44 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,240 so that each other can see each other's back. 45 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,880 NARRATOR: With over five thousand dives to his name, 46 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,200 Adam promised his wife this would be a danger-free trip. 47 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:42,960 ADAM: Her words were ringing in my head. 48 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,000 You've got kids now. Stop doing dumb things! 49 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,760 NARRATOR: While the satellite tags they've already fitted 50 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,680 to the Tigers give good broadscale movement data, 51 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,880 the information only gets sent when the shark fins 52 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,440 break the surface. 53 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,160 So to find out what's really happening at this battleground, 54 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,160 a different approach is needed. 55 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,120 Armed with an electric shark shield attached to Lauren 's 56 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,320 ankle, designed to give off an uncomfortable shock 57 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,320 to any approaching shark , the team move over the reef. 58 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,760 Their mission, to set up an underwater listening station 59 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,040 so they can eavesdrop on the island's sharks. 60 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,080 But first they need to find a good spot for it. 61 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,600 Sixty-five feet down, 62 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:40,120 the divers are met with a kaleidoscope of life and color. 63 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,640 Coral dominates much of the inshore zone on the south 64 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,280 and east of the island. 65 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,240 Some of the most southerly reefs on the planet, 66 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,080 they support a vast array of fish. 67 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,280 But where there's this much life, 68 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,120 predators are never far away. 69 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,760 A Dusky Shark comes over to check the divers out 70 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,440 but is quickly repelled by the electrical signal 71 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:18,720 coming from Lauren 's shark shield. 72 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:26,680 Like Tigers, adult Dusky Sharks are thought to be 73 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:28,960 highly nomadic. 74 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,480 Growing to lengths of twelve feet, 75 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,000 they're formidable predators in their own right. 76 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:37,480 Fast. 77 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:39,040 Strong 78 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:40,960 and highly inquisitive, 79 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,480 everything from squid and fish to skates 80 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,360 and other sharks have been found inside their stomachs. 81 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,840 LAUREN: Dusky Sharks are shaped totally different 82 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:51,160 from your Tiger Sharks. 83 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,720 They're your fighter pilots of the sea. 84 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:57,800 And with that pointy nose and really large pectoral fins, 85 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,280 their agility is off the charts. 86 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,120 NARRATOR: But here on Norfolk Island, 87 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,520 little is known about their habits, 88 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:09,480 or where they come from. 89 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,000 LAUREN: Throughout their range Dusky Sharks are used 90 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,080 to being top dog, I mean they are right at the top 91 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,600 of the food web, I'll be really curious to see 92 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,240 what happens when they come up against another really 93 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,160 top predator, our Tiger Shark. 94 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:28,360 NARRATOR: Beyond the coral reef, the island's volcanic flanks 95 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,400 slope sharply into the inky depths. 96 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,280 Here, things look and feel very different. 97 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,280 This is perfect Tiger territory. 98 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,320 ADAM: Tigers are known as a generalist predator, 99 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,720 so they will eat just about anything they can get 100 00:05:44,840 --> 00:05:47,400 their hands on, or, or I should say their mouth on! 101 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,160 And on those reefs that we dived, there was definitely 102 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:53,440 drop offs and canyons where if I was a shark, 103 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,440 I'd be swimming along knowing you could pop up, 104 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:57,800 maybe even ambush. 105 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,320 NARRATOR: It's the perfect place for a listening station. 106 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:03,680 But a potentially dangerous one. 107 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,520 A pile driver is lowered from the boat above, 108 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:11,400 and the team get to work. 109 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,240 LAUREN: To bash in that pole, 110 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,480 you're really making a fair bit of noise, 111 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,000 if there's one thing sharks are attuned to, 112 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,280 it's noise underwater. 113 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,080 NARRATOR: With a sense of hearing many times 114 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,280 more sensitive than our own, 115 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,280 every shark in the area now knows they're here. 116 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,200 LAUREN: So as you're installing it you kind of have to turn 117 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:45,840 your mind off, get the job done, then we're not dinking around, 118 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:47,240 we're getting out of there. 119 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,720 NARRATOR: One of eighteen encircling the island, 120 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:53,640 the stations will detect and log any tagged sharks 121 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,880 moving within sixteen hundred feet of them, 122 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,480 giving the team a detailed picture of where the island's 123 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:04,000 different shark species are hanging out, and where 124 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,000 they might be clashing. 125 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,400 Back at base, the team plan their next move. 126 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:15,680 LAUREN: So this is our model. 127 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:22,680 NARRATOR: Located 870 miles east of the Australian mainland, 128 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,800 Norfolk Island sits on the frontline between tropical 129 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:31,200 and temperate waters, and at the confluence of major currents 130 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,120 LAUREN: On paper this is a hunter's paradise. 131 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,160 NARRATOR: The tip of a vast underwater volcano, 132 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,600 its flanks plunge down to depths of around 16 thousand feet. 133 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:43,680 LAUREN: And that's the perfect spot for lots of nutrients 134 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,200 to come up from the deep sea, which means you get big coral 135 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,640 reefs and all of this structure for fish. 136 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,480 NARRATOR: Hundreds of thousands of seabirds also call 137 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:58,680 the island home, as do three big species of predatory sharks, 138 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,040 Duskies, 139 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,680 Galapagos 140 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,080 and Tigers. 141 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,640 LAUREN: Norfolk Island is a small rock in the middle of 142 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:15,000 nowhere, and it is absolutely jampacked with sharks, 143 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,280 so this area is rife for a battleground. 144 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,080 We want to figure out where the conflict is, 145 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:22,800 and who's gonna come out on top. 146 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,040 NARRATOR: It's a big job, but fortunately the team 147 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:28,760 have a head start. 148 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,080 When they tagged the Tiger Sharks with satellite trackers, 149 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:34,520 they also took blood samples from them 150 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,720 samples that give them clues as to what they're hunting 151 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,920 and where that hunting might be taking place. 152 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,200 LAUREN: About thirty-five percent of their diet 153 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:44,480 is going to be fish. 154 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,920 And if you're looking for that kind of prey, 155 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,000 these coral sites here are perfect. 156 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:52,480 CHARLIE: Even though Norfolk is pretty small, 157 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,520 we can't monitor the whole island continuously, 158 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,120 so we're going to be focusing in some of the areas 159 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,080 where we think most of the interactions may be occurring 160 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,120 and these are the areas where there is the most food. 161 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,520 LAUREN: We know that seabirds, not just on Norfolk, 162 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,560 but throughout the world are a big important player 163 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,080 in Tiger Shark diet, which means that I think 164 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,840 our Tiger Sharks are going to be clustering up here. 165 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,800 NARRATOR: Every dusk, tens of thousands of shearwaters 166 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,480 gather in vast floating rafts along the island's protected 167 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:25,280 western shores. 168 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,080 This is Norfolk's second major food resource 169 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:31,440 and potential battleground. 170 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,480 LAUREN: Dusky and Galapagos Sharks aren't dumb, 171 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:35,320 is it possible that they're also feeding 172 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,120 on some of the birds out here? 173 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,200 ADAM: Well it's not that far to travel, I mean they're only 174 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,680 a K or so off, and they're big enough sharks to eat a bird, 175 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,680 it's just a matter of that's in their diet or if the Tigers 176 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,320 being out there actually turns them off from going out there. 177 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,400 LAUREN: Also on the west side of the island, though, 178 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:53,800 is Headstone. 179 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,360 NARRATOR: For as long as can be remembered, islanders 180 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,800 have been getting rid of their waste here, 181 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,960 including all the cows and offal from one the island's 182 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,280 main industries, cattle farming. 183 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,480 LAUREN: Because Norfolk's a volcanic island, 184 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,400 it doesn't have anywhere to bury a dead animal, 185 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:13,360 because it would risk the ground water, 186 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,880 so essentially, all the cows here it's burial at sea. 187 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,200 NARRATOR: With that much free food going into the water, 188 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:25,360 could Headstone also be a potential clash point? 189 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:27,680 LAUREN: Now we know there's Tiger Sharks there, 190 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:29,920 but that doesn't mean that the Dusky and Galapagos Sharks 191 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,000 aren't also using that same resource, 192 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,400 and that's going to be a spot for competition. 193 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,960 ADAM: Are they fighting for the resources, is it a battleground? 194 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,640 Or are the big Tiger Sharks actually eating 195 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:43,360 the other sharks? 196 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,680 NARRATOR: Three potential battlegrounds, 197 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,680 three potential armies 198 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:52,120 and just ten days for the team to uncover what's going on. 199 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,280 Dawn on day two of the expedition, and the team 200 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:03,240 head to Headstone Bay to conduct their first experiment. 201 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,480 With so much free food going in to the water here, 202 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,840 the team's hunch is that this is the most likely location 203 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,480 on the island for conflict. 204 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,640 If they can place a camera on the back of a shark, 205 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,520 they may be able to reveal what's really going on 206 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:20,040 beneath the waves. 207 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,320 As scheduled, a truck pulls up to the rubbish chute 208 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,840 and a dead cow they've sourced for the experiment 209 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:30,680 is sent into the sea. 210 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,880 As it hits the water, the sound echoes through the bay 211 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,560 and blood leaches into the water. 212 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,560 CHARLIE: So there's a bit of a scent trail from that cow now, 213 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:48,640 and sharks are often referred as the 'noses of the sea', 214 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,360 so they've got amazing olfaction, and that scent, 215 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:54,360 that odour from the cow is likely to be attracting some of 216 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,080 these sharks, but which species is going to turn up first, 217 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,240 and which species is going to start consuming the cow 218 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,640 is what we're here to learn from. 219 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:07,080 NARRATOR: Launching a drone, 220 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,440 Lauren monitors the cow from above. 221 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,320 It doesn't take long for a huge shadow 222 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,280 to emerge out of the blue. 223 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,720 LAUREN: So we've got a shark, it's just going in towards 224 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,200 the head of the cow now. 225 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:26,760 There you go. 226 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:29,280 ADAM: Oh yeah. LAUREN: Coming in now. 227 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:30,760 CHARLIE: That's a Tiger too, obviously. 228 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:34,120 LAUREN: Yeah, that looks like a Tiger, it's a good size, 229 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,720 NARRATOR: At over 13 feet, it dwarfs the cow. 230 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:44,000 Ripping into it with its razor-sharp teeth, 231 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,720 it makes short work of the cow's leather hide. 232 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,680 And as more blood is released into the water, 233 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:55,880 more sharks appear. 234 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,160 LAUREN: They're both still just circling, 235 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,840 they don't seem to be too bothered by one another but. 236 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:03,080 ADAM: Maybe they're patient eaters, 237 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:04,680 they're already taken big chunks. 238 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,240 LAUREN: Yeah. 239 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:07,680 ADAM: Then we had three come in, four, 240 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,000 then it started to kick off and they started ripping it 241 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:11,320 to shreds. 242 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:15,440 It got to the stage where they'd ripped it to shreds 243 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,160 so much that the whole intestine got ripped apart. 244 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,080 Oh. Tail slap! LAUREN: Oh, man. 245 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,880 CHARLIE:That stinks. ADAM: Yeah, it's gross. 246 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,360 LAUREN: That is disgusting. 247 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,200 ADAM: And we were splashed all over us with poo basically, 248 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,240 intestinal, it stunk, it smelt, it was terrible. 249 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:36,720 And it's over everyone. 250 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:41,440 NARRATOR: For two hours, 251 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:44,680 the Tiger Sharks take turns to feed. 252 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,960 CHARLIE: People typically think that there's a hierarchy 253 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:48,920 in sharks, when the bigger shark will dominate 254 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,440 over the smaller one, but what was different that we saw here, 255 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,520 is that even though we saw several sharks in the area 256 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:57,600 it wasn't just one shark being dominant. 257 00:13:57,680 --> 00:13:59,640 The sharks kind of took turns feeding on the cow, 258 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,040 and coming and taking chunks and bites of the cow. 259 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,320 NARRATOR: But three hours into the feeding, 260 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,720 a very different shark turns up. 261 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:12,320 RICHARD: What's that little thing? 262 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:13,720 Is that a Tiger? 263 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:15,720 CHARLIE: Is that a Tiger or is that something else? 264 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,080 That actually could be a Galapagos or Dusky Shark. 265 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:20,280 It's definitely smaller. 266 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:21,760 RICHARD: It's got a pointy head. 267 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:23,200 CHARLIE: Oh yeah, definitely and it's coming closer now. 268 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,480 Yeah, that's a Galapagos Shark. 269 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,360 NARRATOR: Very similar in size and shape to a Dusky Shark, 270 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,040 Galapagos are oceanic nomads. 271 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,360 Normally found at remote seamounts, 272 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,880 they're opportunistic hunters, and everything from fish 273 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:44,040 and sharks, to squid and even their own kind have been found 274 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,880 inside their stomachs. 275 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,680 But despite the free food on offer, 276 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,040 it stays away from the cow. 277 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,040 ADAM: Size matters. A smaller Galapagos Shark, 278 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:56,720 which might be big in its own right, 279 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,440 compared to these sized Tigers, it's not going to get involved. 280 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,280 NARRATOR: For the team, it's their first inkling that while 281 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:06,760 there may be no hierarchy between the Tiger Sharks, 282 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,920 competition and conflict between the other species 283 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,720 on the island may well be taking place. 284 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,080 LAUREN: It really shows that around Headstone, 285 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,400 Tigers are king. 286 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,280 NARRATOR: But what happens on the rest of the island? 287 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,640 Are Galapagos wary of Tigers because they're eaten by them? 288 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,320 With multiple shark species in the area, 289 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,960 Charlie readies a fincam to find out. 290 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:31,400 LAUREN: There Charlie, just at eleven. 291 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,400 NARRATOR: If he can get it on the back of a Tiger, 292 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:39,320 it could reveal if they're hunting other sharks. 293 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,120 CHARLIE: Oh [BLEEP], it came off. 294 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,000 [BLEEP] It sunk. 295 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:47,280 LAUREN: Bummer. 296 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,800 ADAM: Have some poo for good measure. 297 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,480 CHARLIE: Unfortunately as I was trying to deploy the camera, 298 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,080 the camera kind of got snagged on the deployment arm 299 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:00,520 and as I removed the arm, 300 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,280 the camera slipped off the fin at the same time. 301 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:05,880 ADAM: In hindsight he should have used his arms, 302 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,200 he's so bloody long, you know, 303 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,480 but he was beating himself up about it. 304 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,120 LAUREN: it's a bummer it didn't stick but it's not a waste 305 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,520 of a day, we still managed to get our Tiger Sharks here 306 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:19,320 and we saw either a Dusky or Galapagos Shark just waiting 307 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,280 in the wings, so it really starts to paint a picture 308 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,000 for us about how the different species interact, 309 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,080 and maybe those Duskies and Galaps are here 310 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,640 but they're just not keen enough to compete for cow, 311 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,240 especially when your big Tigers are in the picture. 312 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:37,320 NARRATOR: Day three of the expedition, 313 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,480 and with the cow guts removed from their clothes, 314 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,880 a fresher smelling team return to the water. 315 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,480 LAUREN: Our plan today is pretty simple. 316 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,280 Catch and tag as many sharks as we can. 317 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,000 And that way the listening stations we have all around 318 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,640 the island can start picking up data. 319 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,720 NARRATOR: Laying lines at several locations around 320 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:03,520 the island, it doesn't take long for the sharks to bite. 321 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,120 ADAM: I think we've got our first one. 322 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:07,560 CHARLIE: Yep. 323 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:11,200 Three meters. 324 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,000 Lauren you got this? LAUREN: Yep. 325 00:17:16,120 --> 00:17:17,000 NARRATOR: It's a Tiger. 326 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:23,960 CHARLIE: Slack. 327 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,720 NARRATOR: Wrestling it in takes all the team's strength. 328 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:30,520 CHARLIE: Need it tighter on the tail. 329 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:37,560 Yep, that's it. 330 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:42,920 NARRATOR: Tail safely secured, the shark is turned upside down 331 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:48,320 and put into a trance-like state known as tonic immobility. 332 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:49,960 CHARLIE: That's better. 333 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,560 NARRATOR: Giving the team time to prep a very different kind 334 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:57,320 of kit to a satellite tracker an acoustic tag. 335 00:17:57,400 --> 00:17:58,720 LAUREN: This will implant into the shark, 336 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:01,880 and give us great data on fine scale movements, 337 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:03,880 so we can understand what bit of the island 338 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:05,960 these big Tiger Sharks are using. 339 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,960 NARRATOR: To fit the tag, Adam makes a small incision 340 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:14,320 underneath the skin. 341 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,200 The tag is then slid into place. 342 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,640 For the next ten years, 343 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,320 it will give off a steady acoustic signal 344 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,440 which will be picked up on the listening stations 345 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,480 around the island. 346 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:36,840 Safely sewn up, the shark is ready for release. 347 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:46,360 In just a single day, the team catch and tag eight Tigers, 348 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,600 and five Dusky a nd Galapagos Sharks. 349 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,640 Evidence this island is full of sharks. 350 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,520 Lauren takes blood and tissue samples from them all. 351 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,760 The stable isotopes inside could reveal what the Dusky 352 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,280 and Galapagos Sharks are eating and if, like the Tiger Sharks, 353 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,640 they're targeting fish, birds and cow. 354 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,360 Valuable information, which could help them 355 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,320 uncover where these sharks might be clashing. 356 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:24,720 Back on land, the work doesn't stop. 357 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,040 While Adam processes the blood samples, Charlie and Lauren 358 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:34,760 check out the second possible battleground the bird rafts. 359 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,080 LAUREN: This western side of the island is absolutely covered 360 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,240 in shearwater burrows. In the grass under here, 361 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,640 there's really nice dirt for them to dig nice 362 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,520 and deep burrows, and have their chicks. 363 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:50,040 Now, almost this whole colony should be really far out 364 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,720 to sea feeding, but shortly we're going to start see them 365 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,680 come in quite close and start rafting up just about a k 366 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,320 or two offshore. 367 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,880 NARRATOR: Known locally as ghostbirds due to their 368 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,600 mournful cry, shearwaters hunt the abundant fish 369 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,160 that live in the waters around the island. 370 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,720 Only returning to their burrows under the cover of darkness. 371 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,160 CHARLIE: Well we think that they're rafting to wait until 372 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:20,400 sunset to avoid any predators once they land on the island, 373 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,720 but the irony is that there actually aren't any land 374 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,040 predators on Norfolk Island, but in the meantime, 375 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,360 they're sitting on the water 376 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,200 where they are completely vulnerable to sharks. 377 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,600 Not only that, but as it becomes darker, 378 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:33,760 it's probably harder for the birds to see 379 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:35,600 the approaching sharks. 380 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,000 NARRATOR: With this much food sitting just a mile offshore, 381 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:42,040 could the island's sharks be battling over this valuable 382 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:43,360 resource? 383 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:49,600 Two years ago, the team attempted to infiltrate a raft 384 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:54,120 with a fake bird, bristling with cameras, they nicknamed 385 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:55,480 "Shazza". 386 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:01,080 VOICES: oooooh! ADAM: No! 387 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,480 VOICE: Not Shazza! ADAM: Shazza! 388 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,240 NARRATOR: But just seconds into its maiden flight 389 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,720 it released early and fell down a cliff. 390 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:10,520 ADAM: Yeah, it wasn't our finest moment! 391 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:13,520 NARRATOR: Using a local climbing team, 392 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,680 they did successfully retrieve 'Shazza' 393 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,680 and subsequently deployed it on a huge raft. 394 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,960 But when they went to look for her the following morning, 395 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:28,400 the fake bird was nowhere to be seen or heard. 396 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,280 LAUREN: Vanished, disappeared. 397 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:35,360 NARRATOR: But her story didn't end there. 398 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,320 ADAM: Months later, she washes up on the Australian mainland, 399 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,840 like eight hundred ks away, just she's there! Y'know. 400 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,480 Then they somehow worked out it was our bird, 401 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,840 we got contacted and we got our cameras back. 402 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,000 Didn't find anything on it, but we got our bird back. 403 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:52,960 NARRATOR: This time, the team have a new approach. 404 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,240 ADAM: Yeah, so we thought let's give up on the plastic bird 405 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,720 idea, and let's bring a real human back instead. 406 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:01,080 NARRATOR: Shark expert and drone pilot Richard Fitzpatrick 407 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,520 has been pushing the boundaries of what's possible 408 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,440 with drone reconnaissance. 409 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,240 ADAM: He brought his fancy pants drone, 410 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,480 it's like this really expensive drone with star vision, 411 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,880 so you can see at night from the starlight, it's amazing, 412 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,520 so we brought him out to actually scope the area 413 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,480 after dark to see what's going on. 414 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:23,000 CHARLIE: How far are you now? 415 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:25,800 RICHARD: Two point six kilometres out. 416 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:27,200 CHARLIE: Ok. 417 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,360 RICHARD: We're coming up on to this raft, 418 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,240 we're about eighty metres above it. 419 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:36,960 LAUREN: I mean, that looks like a ton of birds. 420 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:40,480 Having the starlight drone was really revelatory. 421 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,520 It meant that we could kind of watch not just how long 422 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,960 the seabirds were out there, but exactly what they were doing 423 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:54,800 Oh my gosh! 424 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:56,240 ADAM: The whole thing has just been spooked! 425 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:57,960 LAUREN: The whole raft just disappeared. 426 00:22:58,080 --> 00:22:59,160 Gone. ADAM: Gone. 427 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:01,480 LAUREN: Do you see anything there in the water? 428 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,480 RICHARD: Nah. I didn't see anything that time. 429 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:04,880 LAUREN: Yeah, I didn't either, 430 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,320 but they definitely all just took off and scattered. 431 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,360 NARRATOR: No shark can be seen, 432 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,120 but the birds are clearly on edge. 433 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,280 And as they move to the next raft, 434 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:18,320 the team spot some interesting behaviour. 435 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,000 RICHARD: So look, you got this raft here. 436 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:22,880 And looks like the birds at the back, 437 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,000 they don't want to be there. 438 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:26,880 They're flying straight to the front. 439 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,000 ADAM: Well obviously the ones at the back aren't feeling 440 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:31,200 happy so they're jumping to the front 441 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:32,840 where they think it's safer. 442 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,120 CHARLIE: In any kind of schools or groupings, 443 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:39,160 animals on the edges are always going to be more vulnerable 444 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:40,640 than those in the centre. 445 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,320 ADAM: It's almost like they're rolling the dice and everybody's 446 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,720 got to take their little turn at being in the worst spot. 447 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,720 LAUREN: All the birds were so flighty. 448 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,520 I mean there was just explosions and they'd all 449 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:53,400 take off all of a sudden, and it meant that they were really, 450 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,560 really on edge which was exciting to see, 451 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,040 but the bigger discovery was actually how long they stayed 452 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:01,880 rafting out at sea. 453 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:04,960 NARRATOR: As they approach full darkness, the team expected 454 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,880 the birds to start returning to their burrows on shore, 455 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:13,120 but instead they stay out in the pitch black. 456 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,840 ADAM: With this star vision drone, 457 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,720 we saw they were there for hours after dark! 458 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:22,800 So they started rafting at about four o'clock and now it's nine, 459 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,600 nine pm, so they've been rafting for five hours so far, 460 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,160 I mean that is a much bigger window than we expected, 461 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:30,720 and they're still going. 462 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,760 LAUREN: We're not talking about just one or two 463 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:37,720 floating seabirds, I mean these rafts are hundreds to thousands. 464 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:41,240 These birds have no ability to see what's underneath them, 465 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,080 they're the definition of a sitting duck. 466 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,360 ADAM: Oh, there's another eruption! 467 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,920 NARRATOR: It's a big breakthrough for the team. 468 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,120 With this much food available for so many more hours 469 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:57,960 than they thought, could this be the island's key battleground? 470 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,560 LAUREN: With a resource that's that easy to catch, 471 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,320 and birds that vulnerable on the surface, 472 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:05,680 it's probably not just our Tiger Sharks, 473 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:08,080 I mean Dusky and Galapagos Sharks are incredibly 474 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:09,520 agile predators. 475 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,560 They absolutely know what they're doing. 476 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,720 I wouldn't be surprised if they're keying in 477 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:15,720 on this resource as well. 478 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:19,960 NARRATOR: With the team now aware that the window 479 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,120 of opportunity to catch shearwaters is far longer 480 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,120 than they thought, the next afternoon they head out 481 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:31,200 to the bird zone to try and catch and tag more sharks. 482 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,920 In the space of just two hours, 483 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,120 three more Tigers are caught. 484 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,160 But the island's other shark species are nowhere to be seen. 485 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:43,960 LAUREN: It was exclusively Tiger Sharks. 486 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:48,040 ADAM: Not a sign of a Dusky or a Galapagos anywhere. 487 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,360 NARRATOR: Just like Headstone, have the Tigers secured 488 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,960 this area as their own? 489 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,120 LAUREN: Could this be that this big resource is just 490 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,320 Tiger Shark area? 491 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,280 The other species really can't get a look in, 492 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:04,920 and in that area along the west coast of the island 493 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,080 from Headstone all the way out to the seabird rafts, 494 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:09,520 the Tigers are king. 495 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,760 NARRATOR: As more and more Tigers are caught, 496 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,320 another pattern emerges. 497 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:24,520 Virtually all are big mature females. 498 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,160 LAUREN: One of our big questions is why are so many 499 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:28,680 sharks coming here? 500 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:31,640 I mean at this island of plenty, it's pretty clear that there's 501 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:36,440 abundant food, but could this island be so much more? 502 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:39,760 ADAM: These Tiger Sharks that are here are big, 503 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,800 and they're all mature so we're trying to work out 504 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,040 why they come here. 505 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:45,880 They come here to feed, but what else are they doing. 506 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,440 They don't appear to be mating, cause they've got no scars, 507 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,360 but we're wondering if they're pregnant or not in here. 508 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,320 Is this is gestation area, maybe they pup around here somewhere, 509 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,800 but we, it's a very hard thing to work out. 510 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:00,720 NARRATOR: To help answer that question, 511 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:05,360 Lauren has brought in in the expertise of James Sulikowski, 512 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:10,200 a specialist in shark pregnancy and pupping. 513 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,400 And as a really big Tiger is reeled in, 514 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,520 CHARLIE: Coming towards the back of the boat. 515 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,680 NARRATOR: They seize their chance to deploy some new tech. 516 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,320 CHARLIE: One of the sharks we caught ended up being 517 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:27,360 this very large but also very fat female Tiger Shark, 518 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,680 and obviously at that size, especially how wide 519 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,040 and broad that shark was, we automatically thought 520 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,600 that it could be pregnant. 521 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:35,960 Got it. 522 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:46,160 NARRATOR: As the team wrestle to get the shark under control, 523 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:50,600 James readies his state of the art ultrasound equipment. 524 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:03,720 CHARLIE: Give us some good news James! 525 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:08,520 JAMES: Well she's definitely pregnant. 526 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:14,120 CHARLIE: Woohoo! LAUREN: Yay! Pregnant. 527 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:15,520 ADAM: You can see 'em. 528 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,520 JAMES: There's the head. There was a head right there. 529 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,480 LAUREN: So as James was ultrasounding her, we saw, 530 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:25,640 clear as day, this little shark head and little eye ball 531 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,480 and little shark teeth, indicating that not only 532 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:31,360 was she pregnant, but she was very far along 533 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,920 and ready to pup any day now. 534 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,240 I've been waiting excitedly for someone to ultrasound 535 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,440 these Tiger Sharks for years, 536 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,800 so to finally have that visual confirmation of what 537 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,120 we've all been wandering about was outstanding, 538 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:47,960 absolutely fantastic. 539 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,360 NARRATOR: Around the world, little is known about 540 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,360 Tiger Shark pregnancy. 541 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,160 Basic facts, like how long it lasts, 542 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:04,960 remains a mystery. 543 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,440 And here in South Pacific, nobody knows where Tigers 544 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:10,320 give birth to their young. 545 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,240 If the team can find out, it will be a giant leap 546 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:21,600 in our understanding of these threatened sharks. 547 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:25,440 So, they ready another bit of revolutionary kit. 548 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:26,960 JAMES: With this tag which we've developed, 549 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,640 this birth alert tag, we call it the bat, we insert it 550 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:33,600 into the female, it sits in the uterus, it's inert, 551 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,600 it's rounded there's no sharp edges on this thing, 552 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,040 and our hope is that it stays in the female throughout 553 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:41,880 her pregnancy. She'll find a spot, 554 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,720 wherever that might be, give birth, the babies comes out, 555 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,840 this comes out with the babies, transmits the location 556 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,320 and tells us exactly where all that magic's happening. 557 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,240 NARRATOR: This is the first time this equipment 558 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:55,920 has ever been deployed on a Tiger Shark 559 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,680 in the South Pacific. 560 00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:58,960 JAMES: What I do need is somebody, somebody on the tail 561 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,920 probably, to help stabilising it a little bit. 562 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,800 OK, we're good. 563 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,720 Yes, first pregnant Tiger. 564 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,720 CHARLIE: Keep cruising, she's cruising. 565 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:33,120 LAUREN: I'm so excited, lost my voice, 566 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,200 but that's alright, the science is getting done. 567 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,400 NARRATOR: With just four days left on the island, 568 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,840 and no sign of conflict at Headstone or the bird raft zone, 569 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,320 Lauren decides to stakeout the coral areas 570 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,000 that dominate the south and east of the island. 571 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:01,240 Home to vast array of fish, could this be the area 572 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,360 where the island's sharks are clashing? 573 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,200 But as the drone moves over the shallow reefs, 574 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:11,760 it's not conflict she finds, but the opposite. 575 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,520 LAUREN: It's low tide at the moment so we're able to really 576 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:18,440 clearly see some Dusky and Galapagos Sharks. 577 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,080 NARRATOR: Around the world, it's rare to see Dusky 578 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,920 and Galapagos Sharks together. 579 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,520 While Galapagos Sharks like remote seamounts, 580 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,520 Duskies tend to prefer water closer to the mainland, 581 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,040 and along continental shelves. 582 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,640 But here on Norfolk Island, not only are they seen together, 583 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:42,600 but they seem to be sharing the same territory. 584 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,000 Could the presence of so many big Tiger Sharks be pushing 585 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:47,640 them together? 586 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,520 LAUREN: Now, there's only about two feet of water, 587 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,720 so it's a pretty safe spot for them to be in. 588 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,760 It's way too shallow for Tiger Sharks to come in here 589 00:31:55,880 --> 00:32:00,320 at the moment, but as soon as this tide comes in, 590 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:02,720 it's really going to be an opportunity for conflict, 591 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:06,560 if our Tiger Sharks are coming here to hunt reef fish. 592 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,400 NARRATOR: And conflict is exactly what Lauren thinks 593 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:12,440 might be happening somewhere on the island. 594 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,520 Because the acoustic listening stations are reporting 595 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,840 back some strange data. 596 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,920 LAUREN: Our Tiger Sharks are checking in kind of all 597 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,280 the time, every day around the island, but interestingly 598 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,200 our Dusky and Galapagos Sharks, 599 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:29,360 a few of the tags have gone dark. 600 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:32,320 Now we can't say why exactly, 601 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:36,120 but it could be that they simply just go offshore, 602 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,280 I mean they are pelagic predators, 603 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,080 or if they're cruising off the reef flat, 604 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,120 and around in to Tiger territory, 605 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:44,640 they might be getting munched. 606 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,720 So while we're not a hundred percent sure, 607 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,520 I'm really curious to see what they're up to, 608 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,920 and hopefully we can keep tracking them with the drone. 609 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:56,120 NARRATOR: But as the tide rises, 610 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,400 the sharks start to spread out, 611 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:02,760 and head into deeper water, out of the drone's range. 612 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:18,880 Over the next couple of days, thirty more sharks are tagged, 613 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,280 and tissue samples taken. 614 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,360 And as the data pours in, 615 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:26,320 another strange pattern emerges. 616 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:27,720 LAUREN: So we've just gotten the blood results back 617 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,720 from our Dusky and Galapagos Sharks, and they're eating 618 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:34,840 only fish, that means no seabirds, no cow, 619 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,320 at least not in the quantities that we can detect. 620 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:38,720 CHARLIE: Well, that's surprising considering 621 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,320 the amount of food available, the amount of seabirds 622 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,360 and offal being disposed of. 623 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:44,960 LAUREN: Yep. And I mean, those seabirds, 624 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,000 there, there's heaps of them. 625 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,840 And they're there pretty much all night, so it's a huge 626 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,440 missed opportunity for the Dusky and Galaps. 627 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,400 ADAM: Well I mean, what about when we have a look at 628 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,520 the movement data, what does that show? 629 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,240 LAUREN: Yeah, so if we look at the movement data, 630 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:00,880 it all kind of makes sense. 631 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:03,800 We've had thousands of detections all around 632 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:07,800 the island, but if you analyse the data by species as a heat 633 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,600 map, you see these really interesting results. 634 00:34:10,720 --> 00:34:13,520 So we can see that our Tiger Sharks are really using 635 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,440 the whole island, but mostly using this west coast, 636 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:20,360 and that makes sense right, that's where the seabirds are, 637 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,840 and that's where the cow offal comes off the chute. 638 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:28,680 However, our Galapagos Sharks, they avoid that area entirely, 639 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,920 they're not going anywhere near those Tiger Shark hotspots. 640 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,040 ADAM: So despite being lots of birds, and lots of cow, 641 00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:36,720 lots of good resources, the Tigers are still putting 642 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,200 the fear of God into these little ones! 643 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:40,840 LAUREN: Our Duskies are going to do the same thing 644 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,000 as the Galapagos, even though they're a little bit bigger, 645 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,120 probably could hold their own against a Tiger Shark, 646 00:34:47,240 --> 00:34:50,920 they're just using this area here and here. 647 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,440 We realized that these three species were partitioning out 648 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,080 the island into distinct territories. 649 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,480 CHARLIE: So now I guess the diet makes a bit more sense, 650 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:01,720 that's probably why they don't have the seabirds 651 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,120 and the offal in their diet because they're avoiding 652 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:05,600 the area. 653 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:06,640 ADAM: Yeah, and the question is why are they avoiding it. 654 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,200 Is it because of the Tiger Sharks? 655 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,520 NARRATOR: Another strange quirk of the data is that the Dusky 656 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:16,160 and Galapagos Sharks have the highest concentration 657 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:20,440 of detections at the island's two harbours. 658 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,200 Could these locations be a source of conflict? 659 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,080 LAUREN: Now those areas are kind of crumby habitat 660 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,400 for a predator, not much to feed on, it's usually pretty 661 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:33,960 stirred up with lots of activity, so rubbish hunting, 662 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,280 but as soon as we got down there, it did not take a rocket 663 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:40,600 scientist to figure out what was going on. 664 00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:43,680 NARRATOR: At Kingston Harbour the team are met with a hive 665 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,160 of activity. 666 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:50,520 Fishermen line the wharf, and as they fillet their catch, 667 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:53,760 a steady stream of fish scraps enters the harbour. 668 00:35:55,920 --> 00:35:58,400 To see what's happening beneath the water, 669 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:04,360 the team ready a shark cage, and Adam dives in. 670 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,120 Underwater, Adam is met by the sight 671 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:25,840 of a huge Dusky and Galapagos gathering. 672 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,240 ADAM: It was a bit chaotic, the visibility wasn't that good, 673 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:39,440 they come out of the gloom, 674 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:41,560 and I was surprised at how big they were. 675 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:05,560 They hear the splash, 676 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:08,920 they feel it and they try to be the first to get there. 677 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,520 Then one of the big ones, she decided she almost wanted 678 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:15,520 to come in a couple of times and that was when I was like, 679 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:17,720 woah, hang on a second, you're not meant to be in here. 680 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,440 LAUREN: Coming down to the jetty, all of our data 681 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:43,960 is making sense, because what we have is some very eager 682 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,080 Dusky and Galapagos Sharks and we can see very clearly 683 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:49,880 they're here for the filleted fish. 684 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,520 As soon as that fish hits the water, man, those sharks 685 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,440 are on to it. And that indicates to us, 686 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:58,120 that this isn't something new, that as the fishers 687 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:01,320 go out and collect their fish and come back and clean it, 688 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,680 this is the perfect spot for our Duskies to come in 689 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:06,320 and grab a free feed. 690 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:08,640 Just like our Tiger Sharks around Headstone 691 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:12,120 that occasionally will cruise by to get a free feed of cow, 692 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,280 our Dusky and Galapagos Sharks are doing the same thing, 693 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,960 they're coming in to grab a quick and easy feed. 694 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:21,200 NARRATOR: With the sharks carving up the island into 695 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:23,200 distinct territories, 696 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,560 one big question remains. 697 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:31,360 What happens when smaller sharks here run into bigger ones. 698 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:35,240 To answer that, it's redemption time for charlie 699 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:38,120 as he readies the fincam retrieved from the ocean 700 00:38:38,240 --> 00:38:40,600 after the failed Tiger Shark deployment. 701 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:45,680 LAUREN: Oh man, just the one we ordered. 702 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:52,160 NARRATOR: Within seconds, 703 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,280 the team hook on to a huge adult Dusky. 704 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,000 Pulled on to the dock, a tube is inserted in its mouth, 705 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:04,560 to help it breathe, while the team hurry to reduce stress 706 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:05,720 on the shark. 707 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:12,600 Placing the camera tag on, 708 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:15,360 the team now need to flip the shark around 709 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:17,480 and get it back in the water. 710 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,520 At over ten feet this is a full grown adult. 711 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,720 Twenty-four hours later 712 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,680 and with the camera tag safely retrieved, 713 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:42,040 the team gather one last time to review 714 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:44,520 the footage from the Dusky Shark. 715 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:46,520 LAUREN: That is fantastic footage, 716 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,640 look she's just following this one perfectly. 717 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,680 Getting the footage back and starting to watch it 718 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:56,040 was incredible. The footage was stunning, I mean, right away 719 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,760 she tucks in behind these other sharks and you get this 720 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,840 beautiful stream of three or four sharks all in a line. 721 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:10,200 NARRATOR: For over five minutes, the Duskies patrol 722 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:12,240 in a line over the coral. 723 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:15,000 CHARLIE: And now it's stopped. 724 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:16,480 LAUREN: Yeah, now it looks like she's. 725 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:18,920 ADAM: Now she's veering off. LAUREN: Gone off to do her own. 726 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:19,920 ADAM: Yep. 727 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:30,040 ADAM: Interesting, another shark, away from the site, 728 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:34,200 in deeper, deeper water of some sorts, it's hard to say. 729 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,080 CHARLIE: It's just uh, nearly seven pm. 730 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:37,240 ADAM: Yeah. 731 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,560 LAUREN: Just cruising mid-water column. 732 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:44,600 NARRATOR: Several times it meets up with fellow Duskies. 733 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:47,560 And rather than hugging the safety of the shoreline 734 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:51,040 where it could easily hide from Tigers, it spends most 735 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:55,280 of its time in deep pelagic water where the chances 736 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:58,520 of running into a Tiger are higher. 737 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:09,680 Four hours in to the track and the Dusky behaviour 738 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:11,360 changes once again. 739 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:13,640 ADAM: Oh. Tuna. Was that a tuna? 740 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,880 NARRATOR: A tuna moves past it, 741 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:23,320 and the shark makes a sudden movement towards the surface. 742 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,520 ADAM: Oh, it's going up. 743 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:30,000 Yeah, to the surface, but nothing, 744 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:31,400 I can't see anything up there. 745 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:32,520 CHARLIE: It's checking something out, 746 00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:34,120 but there's nothing there to be seen. 747 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,360 ADAM: No, well not by our eyes anyway. 748 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:39,200 CHARLIE: You can see that sort of turning. 749 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:40,520 ADAM: Yeah. CHARLIE: Having a look. 750 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:42,520 ADAM: And going very close to the surface. 751 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:45,040 LAUREN: I'm surprised, I would have thought that y'know, 752 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:49,960 a shark of this size that's eating mostly fish should be 753 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:52,000 hugging the sea floor. ADAM: Yeah. 754 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,680 LAUREN: Especially at this time when you know you've got Tiger 755 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:56,040 Sharks around. 756 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:58,640 CHARLIE: Why did that shark make that decision to start 757 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:00,920 veering up? Did the shark smell something, 758 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,240 did the shark see something that we didn't? 759 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:04,480 ADAM: Maybe there's a bit of action there 760 00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:06,160 and that's why she's sort of looking around, 761 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:08,320 to see what's going on, all this action. 762 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:09,720 LAUREN: Yeah. 763 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:10,840 CHARLIE: That's, that's, I reckon that's most likely. 764 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:12,520 ADAM: Yeah. 765 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:14,400 NARRATOR: The team didn't get the epic battle 766 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,720 they were hoping for. 767 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:19,320 But it's a tantalizing glimpse into the secret 768 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:22,720 lives of Norfolk's Dusky Sharks 769 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:26,800 and suggests the Duskies will risk straying into Tiger Shark 770 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:31,720 territory if the opportunity to feed is there. 771 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:34,600 LAUREN: While our mission coming into this was 772 00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:38,040 to really understand what kind of conflict was going on 773 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:39,720 with this many sharks, 774 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,840 but what we're starting to realise is Norfolk 775 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:46,360 is such an island of plenty, that these individuals 776 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:51,120 and species are able to carve up their own territories. 777 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:52,520 ADAM: The Tigers are the top dog. 778 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:54,480 There's no surprise there, they're bigger, they're massive. 779 00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:56,240 The Galapagos and the Duskies have to avoid them 780 00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:58,640 and have their own little areas. 781 00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:00,320 LAUREN: Now, that doesn't mean that conflict 782 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,160 isn't going to occur. 783 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:03,800 You know our Duskies are travelling out 784 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:07,360 into areas where we know Tiger Sharks are plentiful, 785 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,720 so there's still some secrets the island holds. 786 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:12,200 CHARLIE: There could still be some kind 787 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:14,920 of conflict or some kind of competition, 788 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,320 and for us we'd love to be able to come back, 789 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:18,960 and keep deploying these cameras, 790 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:21,880 to be able to get a better understanding of the behaviour 791 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:25,200 of these sharks, and maybe one day get a more of an interaction 792 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:28,920 between a Tiger Shark and a, and a Dusky Shark. 793 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,920 NARRATOR: In the meantime, the importance of this island 794 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:36,040 to the Pacific's Sharks continues to grow. 795 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:40,080 Just four weeks after filming, the birth tag popped off, 796 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:45,080 at a secret location just a few miles from the island. 797 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,520 With the pups being born so close to so many big sharks, 798 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:53,280 have they stumbled across yet another new battleground? 799 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,720 The team are already planning their return.