Great White Shark Stalks a Drone Shadow Like a Cat Eyeing a Laser

Quick Take

• A drone shadow is all it takes to send a great white shark into full hunt mode, and the reason why reveals something unexpected about how these apex predators see the world. See the filmmaker's insight →
• Sharks are built to dominate the ocean, and their vision may be the most underestimated weapon in their arsenal. Discover shark vision facts →
• Filming sharks undisturbed sounds simple, but a shadow can give everything away.. Watch the shadow reaction →
• Both a massive great white and a much smaller shark reacted the same way to the drone, and what that tells us about shark senses is harder to ignore than you'd expect. See both sharks respond →

It is difficult for us to imagine how different bodily characteristics can be between humans and animals. And in many ways, animals can “outdo” us. We see this in speed, strength, and oftentimes in eyesight. We see this in the video posted above, featuring a great white shark.

Great White Shark Sighting 

The YouTube video posted above shares footage of a great white shark. This video was filmed and shared by The Malibu Artist YouTube page. This channel is dedicated to sharing videos from a filmmaker and professional photographer based in Southern California. He describes what happens in the video below. 

“In this video, we take a look at various sharks reacting to the drone’s shadow and examine what this tells us about their vision. The information gathered also helps me be mindful of where to fly the drone to avoid interfering with the sharks. Drone observations are vital to monitoring shark behavior but it seems the shadow, in certain conditions, is the only thing that can affect the shark’s natural movements.” 

Great White Shark Swimming

At the start of this video posted below, this filmmaker shares that he typically uses a drone to capture footage of sharks. But he must be careful so the sharks do not notice the drone. The goal is to observe sharks in their natural environment, undisturbed. 

Suddenly, the drone’s footage shows that the drone’s shadow is now visible on the water. This has alerted this great white shark to the presence of something else. This is something it may assume is prey to hunt. 

The great white shark’s tail begins to swish harder. It appears alerted and excited at the possibility that this might be food. 

After 2:25, we can see footage of a much smaller shark. Each shark was able to detect the drone’s shadow as it followed them. This raises the question of how good a shark’s eyesight is.

How Good is a Shark’s Eyesight?

The ocean is home to millions of animal species, and sharks are no exception. If asked to name some shark species, most people could list a few. However, there are more than just a few sharks in our waters. There are estimated to be more than 500 species of shark alone.

Sharks are superior in many ways in the water. This is why they are often called apex predators of the ocean. Their eyesight also plays a role in this dominance. A shark’s eyesight is estimated to be up to 10 times better than that of a human in clear water.