It's not every day that humans witness apex predators devour their prey, especially seeing it up close. However, Euan Rannachan, a 36-year-old photographer and filmmaker, captured the terrifying moment in a video when a zombie great white shark devoured its prey just inches away from his cage off the coast of Guadalupe Island in Mexico.
As Daily Star reported, he was scouting the ocean for the predators when the zombie shark appeared and attacked its prey. Many people who saw the video described it as a scary moment as the shark can be seen showing off its razor-sharp teeth before gulping down its food.
A great white shark swims for a dead tuna, used as a bait, during a shark cage diving tour on March 30, 2010 in the waters of Gansbaai in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Zombie Shark Frequent Visitor in the Area
Rannachan said in an interview that he was in a cage underwater when he chanced up capturing the footage of the great white shark attacking its prey right in front of him. The video was first shared in May 2019 on his YouTube account and has resurfaced this year as viewers marvel at the predator's ghoulish visage.
The filmmaker said that the shark frequents the island because it is a migration path for a couple of different kinds of seals and makes it a great place for sharks to have a snack, the New York Post reported.
Rannachan has loved sharks since he was a little boy and decided to start diving with white sharks in 2016. He became hooked on the activity and decided to start a company that takes tourists to Guadalupe Island to see the sharks.
The video is shot from the cage and starts typically enough with a great white shark swimming towards a block of chum hanging from a line at the boat. Then suddenly, the eyes of the shark seemed to have rolled at its back, adding terror to the video. A slow motion of the video shows in detail as the shark flashes the great whites of its eyes in the middle of chomping its food.
The Nictitating Membrane of Sharks
The spooky display was a protective mechanism for sharks to protect their eyes when feeding because sometimes their dinner fights back. Deploying the shield over their eyes during attack mode ensured their vision survived.
An article on the website Two Oceans Aquarium said that sharks have very impressive eyesight, which is estimated to be about 10 times better than humans. Their eye structure is similar to human eyes, with all the photoreceptors that help them see color and light. However, they have one type of cone that humans do not have that improves their vision significantly.
Moreover, the eyes of sharks are mostly protected by their eyelids called the nictitating membrane. It is a thin, tough membrane covering the eyes and protecting them from getting injured. Although, not all sharks have them. White sharks lack a nictitating membrane and therefore roll their eyes back during hunting and feeding to protect their eyes.
Watch the video below of the zombie great white shark chomping its prey:
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Check out more news and information on Sharks in Science Times.
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