About this time of the summer, great white sharks are spotted off the southern New England coast, particularly that of Cape Cod. The frequency of great white sightings has increased in recent years due, at least in part, to growing populations of gray seals, a favorite prey item. While these sharks are certainly impressive predators, recent research (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/04/10/rare-glimpses-of-great-white-sharks-scavenging-surprise-researchers/#.UemeIxabHfj) highlights the role they play as scavengers of whale carcasses. So just like T. rex and many of the species that you are observing in the compost pile images, great white sharks are facultative scavengers: part-time scavengers/part-time predators.