The Dorsal Fin

The video above was posted by YouTube user TheMrborto and features what looks like a relatively younger white shark interacting with a seal decoy in Klein Bay, South Africa. It’s unclear from the video what the motivation is behind luring the shark with the decoy.

Whether this is an attempt to study white shark behavior or not, the decoy certainly seems to have captured the interest of the shark in this particular video.

WARNING: Video features graphic footage of white sharks feeding on a seal.

National Geographic recently posted the above preview footage from the upcoming November 7 episode of Great Migrations, which features some dramatic footage of white sharks feeding on a seal. The narration plays up the drama a little bit with its foreboding tone and lines like “gruesome collision” and “feast for one and death for another.” However, the footage speaks for itself.

UPDATED: As it turns out, this footage is indeed of an actual natural predation event that occurred at Isla de Guadalupe. Thanks to Andy Murch of ElasmoDiver.com for the information!

It is unclear as to whether what we see in the film was a true predation event or whether a seal carcass was dumped in the water to get the shot. The editing of the clip which features multiple sharks, (at least one of which does not appear in any shot with the seal carcass) and the up-close nature of what appears to be the initial attack on the seal make me wonder if the seal was already dead when the first shark bite occurred. If anybody who worked on this footage could share some insight on the event, your comments would be greatly appreciated. Regardless of whether it was the result of predation or scavenging, the event produced some amazing footage. (see update above)

The episode of Great Migrations premieres on National Geographic Channel on November 7, 2010 at 8PM.

A great white shark predation event on a seal was captured on video by a Massachusetts’ family. According to WPRI, the event occurred 20 yards from shore, off the coast of Provincetown last week. Estimates put the white shark at approximately 15′ (4.5m) in length according to the report.

While the WPRI video report refers to the feeding event as “vicious” and “violent,” it is also noted that it is part of “the cycle of life.” Seals often serve as a natural food source for larger great white sharks.

The Tribune of San Luis Obispo serves up some sensationlism in the article, ,13-foot shark slashes seal while boaters watch off Cambria; After fishing and diving off Cambria, North County trio gets a chilling, up-close look at a feeding great white. The story details the account of three divers who witnessed a white shark feeding on a seal off the coast of Cambria, Ca. The divers witnessed the event while aboard a Zodiac. While the article itself remains fairly objective and is well-written, the headline and secondary title take a natural feeding event and turn it into a “chilling” encounter for the witnesses, as the shark “slashes” through the seal. Can’t a white shark just eat a meal without it being likened to a scene from a horror movie? I’m glad my meals aren’t documented by the media, I can see the headline now…

On August 15, two men kayaking off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts witnessed a shark attack on a seal. Bruce Bean and Rod MacKinnon, witnessed a bloody seal at the surface near their kayaks and a “a large black fin” nearby, according to a report at the The Boston Globe. White sharks are not unheard of in New England waters this time of year, and there is a large population of seals in the area where the men spotted the shark, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe that a great white shark could be in the area. Greg Skomal of the Division of Marine Fisheries was quoted as saying, "We think it’s a great white shark. There’s not many species of sharks in New England that would attack a seal. It’s certainly not a new phenomenon. It’s a natural event that’s been going on for a few years." Despite it being a “natural event” that’s not a “new phenomenon,” several news agencies picked up the story and added the typical "Jaws" references and sensational reporting. It should also be noted that while white sharks are known to migrate through New England waters, the last recorded fatal shark attack in New England occurred in 1936, according to The Boston Globe report.

The story at The Boston Globe was actually fairly objective and reported the basic facts of the sighting. The Boston Herald’s version of the story, on the other hand, steps the “fear factor” up a bit, starting their report off with, "Shark experts fear a great white is lurking off Chatham’s seal-rife seas." I find it hard to believe that “shark experts” would “fear” a great white’s presence in an area where white sharks are known to be present this time of year, especially in a spot where there is an abundant source of the white shark’s natural food source. And while the Herald’s story makes the statement about the shark expert’s “fear,” it is not backed up with any information from any “shark experts” expressing fear over the situation. In fact, Skomal is also quoted in the Herald’s report as simply stating that he believed the account of Bean and MacKinnon to be credible and that the carcass of the seal would help identify the shark involved. And, yes, this is the same Greg Skomal quoted in The Boston Globe story who expressed that a white shark attacking a seal was a natural event and nothing new.

WHDH 7 Boston’s video report (Note: I could only view this video properly using Internet Explorer) really hams up the "Jaws" angle in their version of the story. My favorite part of this one is the quote from one of the women interviewed, in which she says, "It’s like out of the Syfy Channel. You know, they have Shark Week and show all the horror pictures." The fact that people out there no longer make the distinction between Discovery Channel and science fiction is a tell-tale sign of what Shark Week has become, as of late. Also worth noting is the very familiar white shark image used in the background behind the anchors in the news studio during the lead-in to the story.

Last but not least, WBZTV CBS 38 features the photo of a mako shark to go along with their report on the possible white shark sighting. WBZTV also has a video report on the story, which amazingly manages to avoid any references to "Jaws".