This hair-raising footage (clip #11) was filmed off the South African coast at Gansbaai which is a fishing town and popular tourist destination. It is shared by a You Tuber Iheb Touzi who entered the water inside a shark cage with another diver. They spotted a great white shark near the cage and tried to entice it to get closer. They use a piece of meat on a rope but the huge shark did not seem too interested in that! Instead, the shark accelerates towards the divers and plunges its jaws through the bars of the cage. We get a close-up view of the fierce creature trying to bite at the metal bars to get to the divers. The bars hold out, however, and the shark swims away without having secured a meal.
What We Know About Shark Attacks
It is no secret that sharks can and do attack humans. Shark attacks seem to capture the human imagination and have featured in movies such as Jaws and The Meg. A large proportion of recorded shark attacks are attributed to the great white shark which is the species we see in this clip.
Great white sharks have over 300 serrated teeth
©slowmotiongli/Shutterstock.com
Researchers have tried to quantify and describe shark attacks and injuries. One research paper published in 2001 looked at South African Shark Attack Files, maintained by the Natal Sharks Board. They found that there were an average of 50 confirmed shark attacks in the world every year. This makes them a rare event but they generate a lot of media attention and public concern. The research also found that most people suffered minor injuries but more serious issues were also reported including limb lacerations and soft tissue loss and limb loss. People have died from shark attacks and this is usually because they have lost so much blood. The study conclusion is that controlling the bleeding is essential after a shark attack to give the victim the best chance of survival.
All About Great White Sharks
The shark in this video is a great white. These sharks are responsible for the majority of attacks on humans. They are found in oceans all over the world and their preferred habitats are temperate, coastal waters as well as the open ocean. Great white sharks are large animals and can grow to 26 feet in length.
In this video, you get a pretty good view of this shark’s serrated triangular teeth. They have over 300 of these. It would not have mattered if this shark had knocked one out on the metal bars because they are continually replaced over their lifetime!
Next up:
Watch: Shark Hunts Massive Saltwater Crocodile in Australia
Watch: Massive Saltwater Crocodile Catches and Swallows Whole Bull Shark
Watch How Close This Woman Came To Becoming A Shark’s Meal
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Tomas Kotouc/Shutterstock.com
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