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Great White Shark Attack Photographed Off Cape Cod Shoreline

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 04:38 PST, Aug 17, 2015

Researchers working off the coast of Cape Cod have managed to photograph a great white shark attacking and devouring a seal, just days after a similar incident sent beachgoers fleeing the water.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is currently in the midst of conducting a multi-year population study focusing on the great white sharks that congregate in the region, as the Cape Cod Times notes. In conjunction with a spotter plane piloted by Wayne Davis, the conservancy sets out twice a week to document and tag the local white shark population, in an effort to determine how many of the predators call the cape home each summer.

While flying over Monomoy on Saturday, Davis was able to spot and photograph a white shark predation event, as a grey seal fell to one of the great whites. Taking place apparently just a few feet from a beach, Davis’ photos detail the attack vividly, displaying a blood-soaked surf as seagulls fly overhead. The silhouette of the great white shark can be seen circling its injured prey in one of the images, while another reveals the full brutality of such an attack.

Feeding events by great white sharks are hardly uncommon off the cape, but aren’t always witnessed. As the Inquisitr has previously reported, the conservancy has managed to photograph several such attacks in the past, both from Davis’ plane and their research vessel. Earlier this year, the group witnessed two separate white shark attacks on seals, which took place within their sight just three hours apart.

Last week, another white shark attack transpired just off Nauset Light Beach, as the Boston Globe reported. Swimmers were called from the water and the popular stretch of beach was temporarily closed after witnesses observed a great white shark mauling a seal just off shore. The unfortunate animal was released by the white shark and managed to make its way to the shoreline, where it died as a result of its injuries. A similar incident was also reported just a few weeks earlier, at nearby Coast Guard beach.

Cynthia Wigren, president of the conservancy, recently noted that white shark activity in the region appears to be increased from last year. As researchers continue their efforts to document the predators, beachgoers can likely expect to witness far more of Cape Cod’s great white sharks before the season is over.

[Photo by Hein Waschefort (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0]

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