Great white shark chased by prey in odd encounter
In an extraordinary sight rarely captured in video, a school of tuna is seen following a meandering great white shark with a goal in mind.
In an extraordinary sight rarely captured in video, a school of tuna is seen following a meandering great white shark with the apparent goal of using the shark as a scratching post.
Erik Jones, who shares aerial footage on social media via Dronsey, shot the video showing the tuna lined up behind the shark. You can see at least two sharks—one vividly—rubbing against the tail end of the shark. All that action comes within the first 16 seconds, after which the shark keeps swimming and the tuna eventually disperse.
“It was pretty interesting to see the prey chasing the predator in this footage from Baja Mexico,” Jones said in his post. “The tuna was following behind as the large white shark meandered through the water. Sometimes the tuna would rub against the shark’s caudal fin and dart back into the school of fish. It was amazing to witness and did leave me wondering what exactly what was going on down there.”
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Dr. Chris Lowe, professor and director of the California State University, Long Beach Shark Lab, told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors that he’s heard of lots of different species rubbing on sharks and across a range of shark species.
“My guess is, that footage is from Guadalupe Island,” Lowe told For The Win Outdoors. “I’ve heard of yellowtail, pilot fish and remora rubbing on white sharks that at Guadalupe Island as well.
“I guess if you’ve got ectoparasites that make you itch, there is no better scratching post than the sandpaper skin of a shark,” Lowe told For The Win Outdoors. “Probably not wise to scratch on the front end, though.
“I particularly like how these fish are rubbing on the tail – those tunas have clearly been around the block a time or two.”
Lowe told us he’s only seen video of this a few times, adding, “I’ve had a few hardcore Guadalupe divers say they’ve seen it but didn’t get it on camera.”
Photos courtesy of Erik Jones.