Great White Shark Steals Camera, Goes on Wild Ride
November 8, 2017—Footage of a great white shark taking off with a research camera rig took scientists by surprise. Working with shark and ray research initiative Global FinPrint, a team from Massey University in New Zealand and other institutions were on an expedition in the Southwest Pacific where they deployed an underwater camera attached to a bait canister at several locations. At most stops on their route, shark sightings were low, possibly pointing toward overfishing. But when the scientists reviewed the video recorded off Rangitāhua, or Kermadec Islands, they saw a great white shark pick up the whole apparatus, pausing to try to bite through the bait can. Even more remarkable, great white sharks are a rarity at the location, a positive note for the end of the expedition.
Transcript
On an expedition to sites
in the Southwest Pacific ...
Researchers deploy two cameras
with an attached bait canister.
Fish gather round to feed.
The smaller fish scatter ...
apparently fleeing a hammerhead shark.
An octopus takes hold of the bait can
and protects its catch from the competition.
The octopus seems to lack
the strength to lift the rig.
But for a great white shark,
estimated at least nine feet in length,
it's a different kettle of fish.
The shark investigates.
It grabs the strange "prey" ...
and takes it for a ride
to the surface and back ...
and then again ...
and again.
The great white tries for a good bite of the can.
A zip tie comes loose, but that's about it.
The species is rare here in New Zealand’s
remote Rangitāhua (Kermedec IslandS) ...
reports lead researcher
Adam Smith of Massey University ...
and this one could be migrating.
Data from the footage will
be added to the Global FinPrint ...
a worldwide study of shark and ray habitats
with the goal of conservation.
