A probably unpublished photograph.
A newborn great white shark may have been photographed for the first time, says the specialist journal Environmental Biology of Fishes, which published the photo this Tuesday.
Although young white sharks have already been seen in the wild, no image of an individual born only a few hours ago had been taken until now, according to experts.
“No one had ever been able to locate their birthplace or see a living newborn,” according to photographer Carlos Gauna, who captured the moment and published photos in the magazine.
“It’s the holy grail of shark research,” he said.
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With a doctoral student from the University of Riverside (California) Phillip Sternes, Carlos Gauna observed a pregnant female in early July 2023 near the Californian coast, near the city of Santa Barbara.
The female appeared to dive deep before a small shark emerged to the surface shortly after, looking directly into the lens of a drone camera.
Experts wondered about a thin white layer that surrounded the small shark, which got rid of it while swimming.
They made two hypotheses: it could be milk secreted in utero by the mother to nourish it or a skin disease.
Protect a vulnerable species
In any case, the researchers must now confirm that they have identified a birthplace, hoping to thus encourage the protection of this species classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Sharks are in fact often collateral victims of fishing or culling campaigns to protect beaches, while attacks on humans are rare.
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“By knowing exactly the places where they go to give birth, we will be able to protect these areas from the negative effects of the presence of humans: fishing activities, destruction of habitats, noise linked to maritime traffic…”, he told the AFP Heike Zidowitz, a WWF official in Germany, who was not involved in the study.