In a spine-chilling incident captured on video, a shark was gruesomely attacked and partially consumed by fellow sharks after being released into the ocean by scientists. According to the Daily Mail, on November 25th, 35-year-old marine biologist Mario Lebrato from Spain filmed an extremely rare footage of shark cannibalism at a depth of 1-2 meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean off Mozambique.
The researcher was documenting a blacktip shark on the ocean floor after releasing it back into its natural habitat in 2018. Unexpectedly, a group of approximately ten other sharks attacked and devoured half of its body.
The footage depicts the shark’s torn flank, with blood and flesh falling into the water. A massive wound can be seen on the unfortunate creature’s side as it futilely tries to swim away from the other sharks. Despite the severe injury, the shark continues to swim with a strand of flesh hanging from its mouth, while the other sharks continue to encircle it.
Eventually, the wounded shark manages to escape its predatory counterparts and swims down into deeper waters before succumbing to its grievous injuries.
Lebrato stated, “I have been working in Mozambique for 4 years. It is well-known that sharks eat other sharks, but capturing the footage and documenting it is incredibly challenging. The attacked shark struggled with its fellow species for about 20 minutes, and 5 minutes after the attack, it died due to its injuries.”
It is believed that all shark species have a tendency to cannibalize, including the feared great white shark. In 2019, Professor Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science stated that shark-on-shark attacks are becoming more frequent as humans employ measures to deter these predators from approaching recreational swimmers in the ocean.
The encounter serves as a haunting reminder of the harsh realities of life in the depths of the ocean, where even the most formidable predators can become victims of their own kind.
