iStockphoto / doescher / RamonCarretero
Few things are more welcome to a shiver of great white sharks than a whale carcass. The typically solitary apex predators sometimes gather en masse to take turns feeding on an easy meal and that’s exactly what happened last week in Northern California.
A great white shark feeding frenzy took place off of Half Moon Bay in Northern California. With a boat and a camera, @drone_guy650 got out to the whale carcass to capture footage of the great white sharks eating their fill and captured the carnal scene.
Great White Shark Feeding Frenzy On Whale Carcass In Northern California
The drone pilot says he “must of seen 6-8 different sharks throughout the day” including 2-3 large adult white sharks amongst the juveniles. It is that time of year when juvenile great white sharks off the coast of California tend to be more visible than usual.
Sharks are notorious for having an incredibly powerful sense of small in the ocean. They are able to detect certain chemicals that might be present at just 1 part per billion, or a single drop of blood in an Olympic swimming pool. So while the ocean is vast, a whale carcass can be detected by these shark from great distances.
This all occurred off Martin’s Beach, California in San Mateo County, an area famous for a billionaire land owner who has been accused of walling off the public beach from the public. The guy filming the drone footage said “the coolest thing was watching the little sharks disappear as a large shark would move in!”
Here is another clip from above showing one of the large great white sharks feasting on the whale. There is no indication as to what kind of whale the carcass is:
I was in Southern California a week ago and happened upon a seal/sea lion carcass during one of my runs along the beach as it had washed up into a jetties. There weren’t any great white sharks in sight at the time. Do seal and sea lion carcasses lack the same allure as a whale carcass? I thought for sure there would be something around trying to feast on it.
In terms of spectacular whale carcass footage. If you have never seen America’s first viral video, footage of the whale that was exploded in Oregon 55+ years ago. Check that out. You’re welcome.