A nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) with a fin camera attached to it caught some footage of 3m (10′) white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) off the coast of Florida’s Boynton Beach according to the USA Today video above and a report from Florida’s News Channel 8.
The camera equipped tag, which was deployed on the nurse shark by researchers from Florida Atlantic University, was initially thought to be lost after it stopped pinged. However, it was recovered days later after which the camera footage was reviewed, which revealed the exciting surprise cameo from the white shark.
A recent study indicates great white sharks growth rates are much slower than previously thought.
Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) grow and reach sexual maturity at much slower rates than previously believed, according to a press release from NOAA Fisheries. A study completed in 2014 and published online last month in the journal of Marine & Freshwater Research used carbon-14 dating and vertebral band pair counts of 81 white shark specimens, collected in the western North Atlantic Ocean, to develop a growth curve for the species. According to the results, female white sharks reach sexual maturity at approximately 33 years of age, while males reach maturity at approximately 26 years. Additionally, the results of the study indicate that the life-span of white sharks could exceed 70 years, which places them among one of the longest living species of fish.
The latest findings on the growth rates and life-span of white sharks provides important information for conservation efforts of the species. Low reproduction rates coupled with slow growth and maturation rates could potentially put the species at greater risk for population decline, since losses in populations are not quickly replaced. Great white sharks are a protected species in U.S. waters and legally must be released live, if captured. However, individual white sharks are sometimes killed as a result of incidental by-catch from commercial fisheries, so it is important that these types of incidents be managed to protect the welfare of white shark populations, as a whole.
For more information, check out NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center press release,
Some lucky passengers aboard a Quoddy Link Marine whale-watching vessel were treated to a somewhat rare sighting of an adult white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) after heading out of St. Andrews harbor in New Brunswick, Canada. YouTube user Dave Hannett caught some brief footage of the shark, as seen in the video above. According to the video information, the shark was spotted about a mile out from the harbor.
White sharks are known to inhabit the Atlantic waters of coastal Canadian provinces, but sightings are fairly rare.
YouTube user Ian Banks had a chance encounter with a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) on Wednesday while diving Kingscliff Reef off New South Wales, Australia. As you can see in the video, the shark didn’t stick around long upon Banks’ approach. The video just goes to show that, unlike what we often see in major media, sometimes white sharks are more afraid of humans than vice-versa.
The AP reports, that a long distance swimmer suffered injuries as the result of a bite from a sub-adult white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) of off Los Angeles County’s Manhattan Beach yesterday morning. According to an NBCLA report, the shark had been hooked by a fisherman on Manhattan Beach Pier and had been on the line for about a half-hour when a group of swimmers intersected the hooked shark’s path.
Steve Robles of Lomita, CA was bitten in the chest area and also suffered injuries to his right hand. A paddle-boarder helped Robles to the shore where he was treated by paramedics and transported to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, Robles injuries were not life-threatening, and he is currently recovering at home.
The fisherman told NBCLA that he was fishing for bat rays when he hooked the shark. He said he didn’t realize it was a white shark until after it had been on the line for 15 minutes. California law dictates that the line must be cut if a white shark is hooked, but he said the shark was close to a surfer when he recognized the species, and he didn’t want it to attack the surfer.
It should be noted that a white shark of this size, which was estimated at 7′ (about 2m) in length, does not typically feed on marine mammals or large prey items.
Discovery Channel has released a preview of the upcoming “Return of Jaws” program from Shark Week 2013. “Return of Jaws” focuses on Atlantic great white sharks off the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
In the video ‘Shark Cam’ (a underwater robot equipped with multiple cameras) is deployed to follow a tagged great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). According to the clip, this marks the first time a white shark has been tracked and filmed by an underwater robot.
