July 21st 2024.
Ross Edgley had a crazy idea - to eat as much as a tiger shark would in one meal. Yes, you read that right - one meal for a tiger shark. This British adventurer from Grantham, Lincolnshire wanted to push himself to the limits by consuming the same amount of calories as one of the ocean's most fearsome predators.
In just 48 hours, Ross managed to consume a whopping 41,103 calories. He devoured burgers, pizzas, cheesecakes, full English breakfasts, liters of custard, Mars bars, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and much more. And the craziest part? He found it surprisingly easy. This 38-year-old daredevil was inspired to take on this challenge while swimming around the UK's entire 1,780-mile circumference in 2018. During this mammoth adventure, he encountered a harmless basking shark that followed him for miles on end.
Ross couldn't help but be fascinated by the shark's swimming abilities, and this fascination eventually turned into an obsession. He wanted to see if he could keep up with the predator's feast or famine diet, where they can go months without eating but then consume a massive amount of food in one sitting.
As Ross explained, "Tiger sharks can go for thousands of miles without food, but when they come across a whale carcass or a turtle shell, they can gorge on it." These sharks have a diverse diet, which includes crabs, sea snakes, and even other sharks. They are also able to store food in their livers as fat, allowing them to go long periods without eating.
For Ross, this challenge was not just about satisfying his hunger, but also to make a documentary about tiger sharks. To prepare for his feat, he fasted for 24 hours and sat in a heat chamber at Loughborough University for 16 hours to rid his body of any nutrients. He admitted that this was the hardest part, as he couldn't sleep from hunger and experienced cramping due to dehydration.
But once he started, Ross went all in. He began with 3,000 calories in smoothies and sports drinks before moving on to seven liters of custard because he needed both hydration and calories. As he put it, "It seemed like the logical choice," although his taste buds went to a very strange place. He also consumed a variety of other high-calorie foods, including Haribo mix, pizza, cheesecake, fish and chips, burgers and fries, cinnamon loaves, and more.
By the end of the challenge, Ross had gained 10kg in weight. He was convinced that he had consumed the same amount of calories as a tiger shark would in one sitting. However, while filming for his documentary, he teamed up with expert Dr. Mike Heithaus in the Bahamas to determine the actual amount a tiger shark would eat. They found that a shark could consume 20,000 calories in just one bite of a blubbery whale carcass. Ross was amazed, saying, "There I was thinking I'd done well with 40,000, and it turns out the tiger shark would have beaten that in two bites."
Despite not quite matching the tiger shark's intake, Ross was proud of his accomplishment. He believes that humans can learn from the shark's primitive fasting and feasting habits. As he put it, "Fasting is quite trendy now, but I think we humans could learn a lot from a shark's primitive fasting and feasting." This challenge was part of a documentary titled "Shark vs. Ross Edgley," which will air on Nat Geo WILD. This month, another adventurer, Spencer Matthews, will attempt to set a Guinness World Record by running 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert.
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