Online news services are buzzing with reports that a massive "super predator" swallowed a tagged great white shark off the Western Australian coast. While online speculation is rife as to the nature of the aquatic glutton the most interesting question is why it's taken until now for the news to be released when the shark was devoured in 2008. It may have something to do with this week's announcement that the Smithsonian institute has sponsored the production of a documentary aimed at discovering the true nature of the perpetrator.

The people of Western Australia have been beset by shark problems in recent years. While many will likely welcome news that a massive super-shark-killer is lurking in the waters of the state others have already focussed on the fate of the shark. In the meantime, amateur web sleuths the world over are sorting through the clues in the hope of identifying the mysterious monster.

As the cream of the world's marine biologists have failed to shed any light on the identity of deep-sea devil it falls to us at the the promotional products blog to solve the mystery, satisfying both those determined to find the creature and those keen to see it charged with the illegal destruction of a protected species.

First, great white sharks are only "great" because they are large and have big teeth. Indeed, it is the opinion of the blogger that they are nothing but big undersea bullies. While the Smithsonian Institute may believe they are a thing of wonder local surfers who find their chances of riding a wave reduced when paddling with one arm are firmly on the side of the unseen killer. Equally you don't want to drop off the back of a wave and into the jaws of an apex predator. To reduce the effect of the worst aspects of white shark attention best to use this to stay on your board.

So what is it lurking a couple of thousand feet down? Data received from the tag attached to the dead shark suggests it was swallowed by a warm-blooded animal at a depth of 2,000 feet. While an orca is the most likely culprit and have a taste for great white shark the depth at which the meal was consumed is said to be beyond their diving capabilities.

All we can do is watch the upcoming Smithsonian documentary. Let's face it, as this alleged event occurred 6 years ago and was rarely mentioned until now, watching the program is the whole point. But let us all pray it's superior to the most recent National Geographic effort which speculated that mermaids still swim the seas. This program amongst other unsubstantiated claims revealed that the mermaid population was declining due to predation by great white sharks. Things are tough under the sea, quarter is neither asked nor given however it's fair to say that anything which eats great white sharks and therefore encourages mermaids deserves its own TV show.