March 23rd 2024.
Boaters were in for a surprise when they encountered a great white shark during their trip, which then proceeded to attack a whale carcass. The incident was captured on video off the coast of Florida in the US. The footage, taken by Brian Jung and Daniel Delatorre on March 17, shows the massive shark suddenly appearing and gracefully swimming towards a boat that was 15 miles offshore from Sarasota, in 50 feet of water.
As the shark approached the boat, its jaws were wide open, displaying its intimidating set of teeth. The boaters were taken aback and one even exclaimed, "It's going to eat our engine!" as the shark's head hit the rear of the boat, according to Mail Online. The shark then turned its attention to a nearby whale carcass, which it proceeded to feast on.
The whale's body was covered in scars, indicating that it had been involved in previous altercations. The shark was not the only one enjoying the floating feast, as two other sharks were also seen feeding on the carcass, according to Jung who spoke to WFLA. The dead sperm whale, measuring 44 feet in length and weighing a staggering 70,000 pounds, had been pulled out to sea after being stranded near Venice, south of Sarasota, a week earlier.
Sadly, the whale did not survive and passed away around 3am on March 11. Wildlife officials had been monitoring its condition throughout the day, as its breathing became more labored. It was an adult male sperm whale, one of the largest species of whales in the world, and was emaciated and covered in wounds, possibly from attacks by other male sperm whales. "Obviously this whale wasn't feeling very well and wasn't doing very well to be this close to shore and in this kind of condition," said Laura Engleby, chief of the marine mammal branch at NOAA fisheries, Southeast Region, in an interview with WFLA.
After its death, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission attracted a curious crowd of beachgoers as they collected lab samples from the carcass. The whale's blood turned the waves red, prompting a no-swim advisory in the area. This was later lifted, but officials warned of a possible increase in predatory activity due to the presence of blood in the water, which can be detected by sharks from a quarter of a mile away.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to 22 species of sharks, including the infamous bull shark and tiger shark. Adult great whites, which can grow up to 20 feet in length, are also found in this region. However, sightings of sperm whales are rare in the southeast US, with only about two being spotted per year, according to Engleby. The last recorded sighting in the Gulf coast was in 2008, when a starving, 47-foot male was found in the Key West islands. It had ingested so much trash that it could no longer eat its usual diet of squid, sharks, and fish.
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales in the world, and they are known to dive to depths of more than 10,000 feet and spend time in deep waters. Females can reach lengths of up to 40 feet and weigh around 3,300 pounds, while males can grow up to 52 feet and weigh a massive 9,900 pounds - about thirty times as heavy as an average car.
Despite their size, these gentle giants of the ocean face threats from human activities. They were heavily hunted since the 17th century for their spermaceti, a waxy substance found in an organ in their heads which was used in various products such as lamp oils, cosmetics, candles, and lubricants. Although their numbers have been recovering, sperm whales still face risks such as collisions with vessels, entanglement in fishing lines, exposure to underwater noise, ingestion of marine debris, and the effects of climate change, according to NOAA.
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