Great White Shark Filmed Eating Whale Off New York Coast
A group of boaters managed to record a great white shark as it feasted on a whale carcass, just 30 miles from New York.
A man named Johnny Beau and his friends were boating off the coast of Jones Inlet when they came upon what they described as the remains of a “stranded whale,” according to UPI. Such an easy meal usually attracts a number of oceanic predators, and this particular incident didn’t disappoint. Beau and his compatriots quickly realized that a great white shark was in the process of eating its fill from the unfortunate cetacean.
Beau was able to film the shark with his phone as it circled the carcass, eventually moving in to savage off a few bites of the whale. As Softpedia News notes, Beau and his friends estimated that the great white shark was roughly 12 feet long, describing the animal as “massive.” Though the clip that was shared online is just 40 seconds long, the shark can be seen eating part of the whale before swimming away from the carcass, its large dorsal and caudal fins on display as the great white cuts through the water.
A Great White Sharks dorsal fin. Did you know they are like fingerprints? No two are the same! #shark pic.twitter.com/jCyq4scIa1
— Calypso Star Charter (@sharkcagediving) June 10, 2015
Though it might seem unusual for a great white shark to be spotted so close to New York, the species are no strangers to the region. Each year, a number of white sharks migrate north along the coast, following warmer water to Cape Cod, which is home to a vibrant seal population. Though the Atlantic white shark population was in decline just two decades ago, the animals have made a major comeback, and researchers are actively studying their numbers off the cape, which is one of the focal spots for great whites in the region. Last year, researchers working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy were able to tag 68 individual white sharks before the season ended.
Meet white shark Dusty! Named by Marissa Melchionda, the winner of our #ShopLocal contest from #FINomenal Fest. pic.twitter.com/6TDIbY4B0n
— Atlantic White Shark (@A_WhiteShark) June 18, 2015
Earlier this year, a great white that had been tagged by non-profit group Ocearch made headlines when she swam north, lingering off the New Jersey coastline and approaching Long Island. As the Inquisitr previously noted, the shark, named Mary Lee by researchers, became a social media star, boasting over 80,000 followers on her unofficial Twitter account.
With shark populations migrating north, some researchers have asserted that great whites could be arriving in Cape Cod as early as July 4, beginning another summer residency off the East Coast.
[Photo via YouTube/ Johnny Beau]
