A group of visitors captured footage of a big white shark eating a whale.
Captain John Boats, a whale watching business headquartered in Massachusetts, posted the wonderful experience on Facebook.
It depicts the apex predator nibbling at the body of a dead mammal off the coast of Cape Cod. The creature appears to be a humpback whale.
As it tries to rip the flesh from the whale’s body, the shark thrashes around in the water.
A second shark appeared, according to the firm that recorded the footage, and both were “enormous.”
“This afternoon was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” they wrote. “We began our journey by looking at a whale that had sadly died.
“Two big white sharks arrived to feast while we were there.”
“We stood by and watched as the study team recorded these two performing what sharks do best.”
Since it was published on Facebook, hundreds of people have watched the video including those who were on the boat at the time and described it as one of the most “wonderful” experiences they had ever had.
The bigger of the two sharks were estimated to be 18 feet long, although it’s unclear if that’s the one seen on camera.
Captain John Goggin, who commanded the expedition, told The Boston Herald, “It was the first time I had ever seen this happen.”
“Everyone on board was ecstatic. There was a lot of “Oh my God!” shouting. Wow!’”
The beasts were “enormous,” according to shark expert John Chisholm, who added, “One of the toughest things to explain to people is how huge white sharks can be.”
“It’s difficult to understand the girth, which may be more remarkable than length until you see one in person.”
While the sight is breathtaking, experts advise that anybody who sees a dead whale corpse, whether at sea or on land, should maintain their distance.
“Conditions can be more dangerous than they look, especially if predators are around, and handling marine creatures is banned by law, even after death,” according to the Center for Coastal Studies.
Let us know your opinions in the comments.
