“This daily breaching behavior lasts the entire South African winter and may be unique to Seal Island,” a host from Discovery UK says as he narrates over incredible footage. These sharks live in False Bay, an area of water near Cape Town in South Africa. Seal Island is a granite island that is home to many, many fur seals. Great White Sharks love to eat these guys for lunch and breaching out of the water is one way that they catch them by surprise. One shark that researchers have named “Colossus” is not known for breaching. As a very large shark, this animal prefers to feed underwater. But researchers and observers took a boat out near Seal Island, hoping to find Colossus engaging in the behavior that is so common in this area. The boat pulls a decoy behind it, hoping to entice Colossus to come up. One of the scientists is nearby on an underwater structure to observe and record the shark’s behavior.
Colossus Sightings
Success! Colossus swims up at high speeds to go after the decoy. Breeching out of the water, you can clearly see the shark’s mouth, gills, and even dorsal fin in the air. The decoy is captured in its powerful jaws. Because the team was ready for this, they were able to capture the breach on camera. Cheering erupts on the boat. They put out another decoy for Colossus. Even though Colossus hasn’t been in the area long, it’s likely that he’s seen other sharks have success feeding this way. “In only a few weeks here, he’s learned that launching these surprise attacks is not only the best way to catch a seal, it’s also the best way to beat rival sharks to the punch,” says the narrator. The giant shark continues to amaze the team on the boat with his breaching behavior. Some of the leaps were so impressive that almost the shark’s entire body was out of the water. Fortunately, the team captured the stunts in both video and still photos.
Where Do Great Sharks Live?
Great white sharks can be found in almost all coastal and offshore waters that have a water temperature between 54 and 75 °F. There is however, a greater population of great whites that can be found in great concentrations in the United States. Great white sharks are found in the following bodies of water:
U.S Pacific ranging from Alaska to CaliforniaThe Pacific coast of MexicoSouth AfricaJapanOceaniaChileThe Mediterranean including Sea of Marmara and Bosporus
They are found in both nearshore and coastal waters. Great white sharks can be found migrating seasonally between different habitats.
Lifespan: How Long Do Great White Sharks Live?
In previous years, scientists estimated great white sharks to live about twenty years. However, new research has discovered that Great White Sharks can live to be about 50 to 70 years old or even older. That makes the average shark lifespan close to that of the average human lifespan.
Great White Shark vs Giant Squid: Who Would Win?
The anatomy and the sheer size of the great white shark and a giant squid are some of the most key differences. The great white shark is a huge, cartilaginous fish that can grow over 20 feet long and can weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. On the other hand, we have the giant squid which is a large invertebrate with a maximum size of 40 feet weighing a total of 600 pounds. Despite the dramatic size difference, due to other factors discussed in this article: Great White Shark vs Giant Squid the giant squid would come out victorious!
Is It Normal For Sharks To Jump Out Of The Water?
Sharks have to use up a lot of energy to propel themselves out of the water, so it is not a common event. It takes a lot of zooplankton to make that much energy! But, sharks can jump up to 16 feet in the air when they need to for hunting. The types of sharks that jump the most often are great white sharks, spinner sharks, mako sharks, and thresher sharks.
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