Tuesday, 29 October 2024
-- Advertisement --
Liberty Club Level3 Divers24

Giant wreck eats whole shark - video

Listen to this article The landscape of the ocean depths appears to be an endless underwater desert, where all inhabitants struggle to survive and every meal is a real celebration. That is why the images captured in the video below by researchers from the Nationa Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA, are truly unique! In
Published: January 11, 2021 - 09:00
Updated: July 22, 2023 - 21:49
Giant wreck eats whole shark – video
Listen to this article

The landscape of the ocean depths appears to be an endless underwater desert, where all inhabitants struggle to survive and every meal is a real celebration. That is why the images captured in the video below by researchers from the Nationa Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA, are truly unique!

In the summer of 2019, NOAA scientists exploring the ocean depths off the US coast recorded an extremely rare situation when a group of sharks feasted on the carcass of a dead swordfish. Documenting such a scene is a real lottery win, but it was soon to become clear that it was only a prelude to an extraordinary finale.

-- Advertisement --

shark eaten whole by wreckfish A remote-controlled ROV belonging to NOAA recorded the sharks greedily devouring bite after bite of swordfish, and no one even expected – including the sharks – that the vehicle would serve as a magnificent curtain for the giant wreckfish, which had its own plan for the feast.

However, let us start from the beginning. The whole scene took place at a depth of about 450 metres, 130 km off the coast of South Carolina. A NOAA team, using the ROV Deep Discoverer, was searching for the wreck of the SS Bloody Marsh oil tanker. At one point, the vehicle’s operators came across the remains of a 2.5-metre swordfish, on which nearly a dozen sharks were feasting.

The cause of death of this majestic animal is not clear. Perhaps the swordfish died due to age, illness or other injuries. There was no visible hook or trace of line anywhere, suggesting that it was a lost catch. However, the fish was already badly battered by hundreds of shark bites and most likely any marks would no longer bevisible, said Peter J. Auster, a marine scientist at the University of Connecticut

The sharks were two species of slow-moving deep-sea sharks in the family Somniosidae, commonly called sleeper sharks. The two larger individuals were probably thick-skinned spiny dogfish(Centroscymnus owstonii), while the others belonged to a relatively recently discovered species of genie spiny dogfish(Squalus clarkae), named after Mote Marine Laboratory founder Eugenie ‘Shark Lady’ Clark.

The body of a dead swordfish attracted the starved scavengers, but it wasn’t long before someone else showed up. A lone Atlantic wreckfish(Polyprion americanus), appeared at the scene of all the commotion to hunt down a tasty morsel for itself.

These massive fish can exceed two metres in length and usually hang around deep caves and shipwrecks. It’s not clear whether the wreckfish had an appetite for swordfish or whether he immediately opted for a slightly fresher assortment. However, at one point it emerged from the glow of Deep Discover’s robotic lights and simply swallowed one of the feasting sharks.

Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA

Other posts
Share:
Facebook
Telegram
LinkedIn
Twitter
Pinterest
WhatsApp

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis
Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.
-- Advertisement --
freediving dive insurance dan
-- Advertisement --
Level3 Club CCR Divers24
Recent post
Halcyon's Global Vision steered from the Polish HQ
ACROSS MALDIVES 2025: A RECORD DIVE ATTEMPT
Diving Talks 2024: Join the Conversation from Home
Ghost Diving Poland - Protecting the Baltic Sea
Shipwrecks as Artificial Reefs: Ecological Roles and Impacts
Operation Ghost Farms to reclaim wasters of western Greece
You haven't read yet
Halcyon's Global Vision steered from the Polish HQ
ACROSS MALDIVES 2025: A RECORD DIVE ATTEMPT
Diving Talks 2024: Join the Conversation from Home
Thermal Comfort with the New Santi BZ420X Undersuit
Let's nominate the best in Diving at Baltictech 2024
Ghost Diving Poland - Protecting the Baltic Sea

Search...

The Divers24 portal is currently the largest online medium treating diving in Poland. Since 2010 we have been providing interesting and important information from Poland and around the world on all forms of diving and related activities.

Contact us: info@divers24.com