As of: January 30, 2024, 11:52 a.m
By: Vivian Werg
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A documentary filmmaker and a biologist apparently managed to capture spectacular images of a newborn great white shark.
The find could solve a mystery.
Riverside – Hollywood director Steven Spielberg celebrated a major global success in the 1970s with the film “Jaws”.
However, sharks are feared by people and do not have a particularly good image.
They are actually considered peaceful animals.
Usually depicted as dangerous, man-eating monsters in films, it is difficult to imagine them as newborn babies.
Unique discovery: First-time newborn great white shark recorded alive in the wild
There is almost no film footage of newborn sharks.
In July 2023, on the coast of California, a documentary filmmaker and a biologist made a sensational discovery: They circled a drone camera over the Pacific and looked for sharks.
The drone took a unique aerial photo of a great white shark that had probably just been born.
Marine researchers made a similarly stunning discovery when they filmed “Deep Blue” – the largest shark of all time – on an expedition.
A photographer says he apparently took a unique shot of a newborn great white shark © The Malibu Artist/EurekAlert/Carlos Gauna/dpa
The incredible discovery of the newborn shark was documented by filmmaker Carlos Gauna and biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes from the University of California at Riverside in the journal
Environmental Biology of Fishes.
It also explains what it means to have seen a newborn great white shark alive.
“Where great white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark research.
No one has yet been able to determine the exact place of birth.
And no one has ever seen a newborn shark alive,” said Gauna.
“Dead great white sharks have been found in deceased pregnant mothers.
But nothing like that.”
According to scientists, adult great white sharks are gray on the upper side and white on the underside.
But this shark, about 1.5 meters long, was completely white.
“We enlarged the images, took them in slow motion and noticed that the white layer came off the body while swimming,” says Sternes.
“I believe it is a newborn great white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”
Scientists warn against drawing too hasty conclusions
The authors of the study admit that the white layer that the shark shed could also be a skin disease.
But the duo doesn't believe that was the case.
“If this is what we saw, then that too is monumental because such a condition has never been observed in these sharks,” Gauna said.
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“The article is quite serious,” said Dr.
Timo Moritz from the German Maritime Museum in Stralsund.
“Regardless of the seriousness, one must of course be careful with conclusions, because this is only an isolated observation.” The team of authors favors the hypothesis with the newborn, says the expert.
However, the study does not address whether there is evidence of such layers in newborns in other shark species.
“As far as I know, this is not the case and that of course weakens this hypothesis,” explained Dr.
Moritz.
Discovery could determine definitive birthplace of baby shark for first time
Gauna, also known online as “TheMalibuArtist,” has spent thousands of hours filming sharks around the world.
He tells UCR
Magazine
that he probably spotted pregnant sharks at the location.
“I had filmed three very large sharks at this particular location in the previous days that appeared pregnant.
That day one of them dived, and not long after that this completely white shark appeared.
So it is not far-fetched to conclude where the baby came from”.
The wildlife filmmaker has spent thousands of hours filming sharks around the world.
According to the duo, the site off the coast of central California has also long been suggested as a birthplace for great white sharks.
“There are a lot of hypothetical areas, but despite the great interest in these sharks, no one has ever seen a birth or a newborn pup in the wild,” said Sternes.
“This may be the first evidence of a cub in the wild, making this a definitive birthplace.”
The great white shark is the most protected shark species
According to National Geographic,
over 540 known species of sharks swim
in the world's oceans.
Despite its media prominence, much about the shark is still mysterious and unexplored.
Such as mating behavior or the birth of a shark.
It has also never been possible to see a newborn of a predatory fish species.
The great white shark is the most protected shark species in the world - and yet it is highly endangered.
According to the environmental organization WWF, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed every year.
“Further research is needed to confirm that these waters are indeed a breeding ground for great white sharks.
However, if this is the case, we would like to see lawmakers step in and protect these waters so that great white sharks can continue to thrive,” said Sternes.
In Great Britain, the government has changed the fishing regulations for dogfish sharks - the endangered species can be fished again.
Meanwhile, a woman made a strange shark discovery on the North Sea beach.
(vw/dpa)