"Bite and spit."
The wheels have come completely off the civilized world and it appears our uncivilized friends in the animal kingdom have taken note, deciding to get in on some unhinged fun. Just really lose their minds and go all out crazy. And why not? What’s to stop them? Who?
Order has been damned. Vanquished. Chaos reigns.
And as you are well aware, apex predatory Great White have long feasted on whale carcasses floating in their ocean. Ripping into that blubber and mush but very recently, and for the first time in recorded history, scientists above a research vessel cruising South Africa’s vibrant coast witnessed two Great White’s take down a live Humpback Whale or, “Songbird of the Sea”, and let’s not take any more precious time. Let’s hear directly from them in the very entertaining Marine and Freshwater Journal.
Over the next 90 minutes, both white sharks approached the whale and each attacked it while still alive. The first shark positioned its initial attack from the rear of the whale, targeting the left flank behind the pectoral fin. However, although it bit the whale and a large amount of blood was released, it immediately let it go and swam away without removing any much blubber or muscle.
It waited for about 42 minutes to allow the whale to lose blood and slow its swimming patterns before biting beneath the tailstock. But like the bite before, it let go and swam away without removing any meat or blubber. It was then that the second shark (at about 13 ft/4m in length) showed up and took this opportunity to do the same thing, scaring off the smaller shark. After these two back-to-back bites, the whale stayed very still at the surface until the second shark bumped its snout.
The whale tried to dive, dipping its head under the water’s surface and arching its body but unable to move its tail. This new shark took advantage of that and bit the tail stock again, this time sharking its head, but released the whale once blood spurted out. That last bite sealed the fate of the whale, and it sank three minutes after that final bite.
Do you weep for the beautiful Humpback, extremely endangered, or cheer the Great White and his gumption?
More to the point for us surfers, us “Operatics of the Ocean”, it has long been thought that when a Great White hits one of our kind it takes a taste then realizes its mistake and refuses to finish the meal. The whale business above, though, proved the “bite and spit” tactic first hypothesized in 1958 by the wonderful ichthyologist John McCosker who declared that the prehistoric beasts prefer to bite then hang around until its prey bleeds out before returning to the feast.
Does it make you happy to know we are, likely, as delicious as whale?
Imagine if other animals reported finding on humans and we were non the wiser.
Sooo, where’s🤷🏼♂️the vid proof? One pic means absolutely💩jack-shit to me. Just sayin’. 🇨🇦👊🏻
I am wondering, of this is such a rare sight, why did those sharks do it? First attack was even a small shark.
Lack of other food by overfishing perhaps?
I believe the hunting tactic might be a thing, but I also believe that is reserved for large prey that might be otherwise to strong to tackle.
This got me to the above point. With an abundance of less risky prey, would they have attached a whale.
I also believe that the reason human incidents are a single bite has more to do with the lack of meat and presence of more bones then these tactics, as is mentioned before.
In any way, getting media attention by showing ungrounded fear as is being done in this article is hurting people by not allowing them to admire the beauty of all natural beings and is hurting the animals by not reducing the respect needed for their protection.
An article about this event could have been so much more graceful and beneficial to all involved.
Not likely! Sharks only attack humans by mistaking us for Turtles or seals,their two favorite prey other than whales. Reason being is all that blubber!! They can’t chew bone and therefore hate it ,which is why they always release us when biting into us. I also don’t believe by a long shot that they have strategy to their attack besides being sneaky and full throttle approach. They don’t know that by biting a whale in the right spot that will immobilize it! If that’s the case,there would not be any whales left!! Common sense… Also attacking a live whale means they’re starving, probably due to the overly population of sharks in the ocean today! Which is due to the under population and over poaching of killer whales!! Orcas are the wolves of the ocean and like the Wolf they are declined in record numbers! Sad sad sad!! Humans have almost completely ruined our beautiful planet with their illogical and reckless behavior… With no regard to the ecosystem,all life as we know it is dying 💀😡. I’m not sure that we can even fix it if we tried to at this point!?!!??!!
As tasty as whale meat? Puts a hole in the progressive ideological view which says sharks are cuddly, only the carniverous patriarchy makes us fear and oppress them. The modern liberal being the only life form superior to natural risk. “There is nothing either bad or eaty, but thinking makes it so.”
Sharks have been known for centuries to attack the tail flutes then wait for their victims to bleed out there are reports as far back as 1730 that detail this exact hunting trait
The female body builder from Russia is gorgeous but is fake. If you have to cheat then you don’t deserve to be called a record breaker on anything. I’m disappointed that she thinks it’s ok. I’d gladly say it to her face and explain why.
What does that have to do with sharks?
So the whale was actually a female body builder from Russia – fake bit being the pecs? No wonder the sharks went at the oversized muscle, clearly mistaking for blubber . sad but necessary death
How big was the whale? Probably a young one. Dont think they could kill a strong adult.
So the film the great white feeding on dead whale. is suppose to be ” great white hunts for a delicious whale”.
Now we know their technic, they will bite and distance themselves wait for you to bleed to dead and they will enjoy the delicious feast.
Thank you to the scientist. I think their should be a group to guard the endangered species.
Seen something similar years ago on Discovery Channels -Shark Week. A photographer even got onto dead whale while Great Whites were feeding on it to get better pictures.
Whaling Jennings.
Look Chas, seeing as how I’m a merely student, basking in the glow of your horse-flogging lessons, imma spell it out for you.
SHARK-CUTE—TERY.
sharkcutery,
Charcuterie.
You see?
I’m sure you’re now busy.
Dodging angry ‘boarder patrol’ guards.
Bedazzling Immigration officials with dazzling Bs (‘Baroque’, ‘Buncombe’ ‘Batraquomancy’, ‘Borborygmus’ and ‘Butyraceous’ perhaps?)
One day, you might look back in leisure and rue the lost opportunity to create a magnificent work of art within a Transient Parisian School of Shark-based Surf-adjacent journalism-esque form.
Never mind. There’s still time.
Life is still yours to grasp.
We await your next shark-based missive, cast to the digital winds from within the musty depths of the cured meat emporium of our dreams.
…
God I miss alcohol on a Friday.
Yes I was wondering why no response to your obvious sharkuterie
He hates being led by the nose for inspiration. He’ll steal, or borrow, but not be told.
I’m guessing.
Hahaha
Not open to positive suggestion…
Hopefully I taste like grape soda or Tahitian Treat.