A massive great white shark has been spotted feasting on a dead whale off the Rhode Island coast, creating a rare spectacle that marine researchers are calling nothing short of extraordinary.
The Atlantic Shark Institute said the enormous predator was discovered this week feeding on a whale carcass near Coxes Ledge, east-southeast of Block Island. The area is also home to the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm, which occupies part of the broader Coxes Ledge region.
“There are large great white sharks and then there are very large great white sharks,” the institute wrote. “Well, this is the latter.”
After receiving numerous reports, Atlantic Shark Institute Executive Director Jon Dodd and Sarah Callan of Mystic Aquarium launched a search covering roughly 50 square miles before locating the floating whale. When they arrived, they found exactly what they had hoped for: an enormous great white shark taking advantage of one of nature’s rarest buffet tables.
Researchers say sightings of white sharks in Rhode Island waters are typically uncommon, but everything changes when a whale dies. The massive carcasses become irresistible food sources, drawing sharks from miles away and creating brief windows to observe the ocean’s apex predators up close.
The institute said it also encountered a second great white circling the whale, underscoring just how powerful these feeding events can be in attracting multiple sharks to the same location.
The dramatic encounter was captured on video by Callum Crawford, whose footage provided researchers with a remarkable look at one of the Atlantic’s most formidable predators. The Atlantic Shark Institute says more photos and video from the expedition will be released in the coming days.
Source: @atlantic_shark
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