Rare footage from California unveils a fierce clash between a sea lion and a blue shark. Contrary to expectations, the sea lion astonishingly overpowers the shark, tearing into its flesh while it remains alive.
The video, posted by @natureismetal on Instagram, was filmed last month by Lori Hespa, a retired nurse and wildlife photographer, aboard a tour boat off the coast of Monterey Bay in the Pacific Ocean. Hespa fortunately switched on her camera just in time to capture this fatal encounter.
The encounter begins with the sea lion tossing the shark back and forth before ripping a chunk of flesh from its face. Clenching the bloody morsel in its jaws, the sea lion swiftly disappears beneath the water's surface. Shortly after, the shark starts to show signs of movement, but before long, the water falls still. "I have never witnessed anything like this in the ocean.
He tore its throat in a matter of seconds," Lori expressed, still in shock. She added that this intense battle lasted around three minutes, ultimately culminating in a decisive victory for the sea lion.
"While fish and squid typically make up a sea lion's diet, these adaptable marine mammals often seize unconventional prey options when faced with difficulties in obtaining food," explained the online nature magazine Nature Is Metal. A sea lion attacking a shark may appear peculiar, but marine experts assert that this behavior is quite common. "We typically perceive sharks as formidable predators. They are usually the hunters, not the hunted," said Dave Bader, chief operations and education officer for the California Marine Mammal Care Center, in an interview with the Daily Mail. "Yet, most shark species are prey."
When fully grown, male blue sharks measure an average length of 1.82-2.82 meters (6.0-9.3 feet) and weigh between 27 and 55 kg. In comparison, an adult male sea lion can weigh up to 360 kg and reach a length of approximately two meters.הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Blue sharks are deemed "the most targeted shark on Earth" by the Shark Trust, with an estimated 10 to 20 million blue sharks killed yearly, primarily for their highly prized fins, rather than for food.