A shocking footage captured the shark being half-eaten and attacked by members of its own species. However, it managed to continue swimming for minutes before succumbing.
Dr Mario Lebrato 35 from Spain caught the rare video of shark cannibalism at one to two meters under the Indian ocean surface, Mozambique.
The researcher was filming the oceanic blacktip shark when releasing it back into the ocean, when a different group of around 10 sharks set upon it.
Pictured: A still grab from video that captured the moment a shark suffered severe injuries when it was attacked and half-eaten by other members of its own species
Dr Mario Lebrato, 35, from Spain, captured the moment on video (pictured) when the oceanic blacktip was attacked as it was released back into the ocean off the coast of Mozambique
It shows the shark, after it has been attacked. The footage also includes blood and flesh pouring into water.
You can see a huge gap in the shark’s side. A second, smaller piece of flesh is missing from its tail fin.
The murky waters from blood that has escaped from the creature’s body make it easy to see the rotten flesh and the sinew as the creature tries desperately to get away from others.
The shark continued swimming despite its injuries. Other sharks kept circling it in the water, causing the line to become unnerving.
The shark was finally freed from its line and footage of it swimming into the deeps shows it with large portions missing. It is followed closely by its predators.
Pictured: The shark is seen in footage still swimming with a line attached to its mouth, having been attack by a group of around 10 other sharks as it was released back into the wild
Pictured: After removing chunks from the victim’s side, the other sharks can be seen circling it and causing the blood and flesh to spill into the water.
After a five minute struggle following the attack, the shark succumbed to its injuries, Lebrato – who filmed the attack in 2018 – said.
Dr Lebrato stated that he has been in Mozambique since 2004 and knows sharks eat them. However, it’s very difficult to document and film.
The shark struggled for approximately twenty minutes. However, the attack ended after only five minutes.
According to him, there were about 10 bull sharks or other oceanic blacktips that participated in the attack.
“One shark was about 300-400 kilograms and pregnant.
“This was done offshore and took place in about 100m of open water.
Lebrato, who documented the attack in 2018 and witnessed the struggle for five minutes, said the shark finally succumbed.
Dr Mario Lebrato, seen briefly in the footage (pictured) said that bull sharks and other oceanic black tips were part of the group of sharks that attacked. According to him, one shark was likely pregnant. It weighed between 300 and 400 kilograms.
It is believed all species of sharks have cannibalistic tendencies – including the fearsome great whites – Professor Mark Meekan, from the Australian Institute for Marine Science, said in 2019.
“It is not one shark that attacks another shark, or one shark species attacking another shark. It’s lots of different sharks turning on each other,’ He said at the time.
According to Professor Meekan, shark-on-shark incidents are rising due to swimmers’ inability to catch the hungry predators.
On Australia’s Gold Coast for instance, nets are used and baited hook lines are deployed as safety measures. Hooked sharks emit distress signals that are detected by other predators who want to eat them.
According to research done in 2019, sharks were eating each other since millennia.
A fossilized excrement of the prehistoric orthacanthus, a shark that lived in the oceans 300 millions years ago, was examined. It contained fossilised shark teeth.
Professor Meekan stated that these sharks were capable of eating cannibals 300 million years ago. It is fundamental that sharks prey on other sharks.