Marine life scholars have captured a white shark, but the marks on the body were incontrovertible: something frightening had attacked it.
The white shark is the predator par excellence of the seas. It is a ruthless animal, master of the waters, which prefers large prey such as dolphins, sea turtles or seals depending on the area where it is found. It would seem an invincible animal, without rivals, who shouldn't fear anything. But when scientists came across a dying specimen covered in bites, doubts and fears grew: what could have overwhelmed the largest predator in the oceans? What did this white shark come across?
The questions scientists were asking were many: when did this attack happen? What could have reduced a great white shark in this way? Will this creature still be around? The crew's fear continued to grow.
Many of the OCEARCH scientists were afraid of what they might discover, but a passion for discovery prompted them to investigate. They had no idea what they could find out, but they knew they had to.
When it comes to the animal world, violence is the order of things. It happens to see animals injured by other specimens, of the same species or not. What is difficult to see, however, is the largest predator injured by another animal. Is it a more dangerous species yet?
The questions of the scientists were more and more. It was necessary to find out what had happened to this white shark in order to really understand if there was a threat. But first we must clarify some points of this story
OCEARCH is an environmental organization that sets itself the task of studying the oceans and its fauna in order to help safeguard the species of the habitat in which they live and allow those at risk of extinction to grow in number until they return to Population levels of security.
In particular, they carry out a work of tracking some species of marine animals, such as white sharks and sea turtles, which each person can follow through their website. A very useful way to study the behaviors of these animals.
This work is carried out by capturing these animals, to which a microchip is inserted to trace their paths in the ocean. Thus scientists can see the behaviors of these beings in real time, as well as have a series of data for the study.
One morning, OCEARCH scientists took their boat and headed off the coast of Massachusetts on a regular expedition in search of marine animals to be taken to insert the tracking microchip.
The idea of the scientists who organized the expedition was to study the behavior of white sharks found in the waters adjacent to the north of the United States. For this they were looking for an adult specimen in the open sea.
Obviously when they left they knew the difficulty of the mission: capturing an adult white shark is a difficult task, given the size and unpredictability of the animal. Let's get to know the characteristics of this fish better.
The white shark is the largest predatory fish existing on planet Earth, as well as the third largest ever, behind the whale shark and the basking shark. This places it rightfully among the most dangerous animals in the world.
The white shark is a specialized hunter and its diet varies depending on the area in which it lives. For example, in the Mediterranean Sea it can feed on tuna, swordfish, sea turtles and dolphins, while in other parts of seals and sea lions.
The more agile prey is not bypassed by the white shark, indeed in these cases it prefers a technique very similar to stalking. Thanks to the absence of the swim bladder, this animal can go up the water quickly so that it can attack its victim from underneath.
The females of these specimens tend to be larger than the males, reaching a length of 4/5 meters against 3/4 meters. The largest ever sighted is a female specimen of the species, which measured a good 7 meters.
The white shark has a superfine hearing, which allows it to perceive the slightest vibrations even at long distances, as well as a very acute sense of smell. It also has the ability to sense small electric fields generated by the motor activity of its potential prey.
The white shark is therefore a formidable predator and therefore a very interesting species to study. Understanding its behavior helps to understand a lot about all the marine fauna of the ocean, both predators and prey.
Scientists at OCEARCH are well aware that capturing a large white shark will help them in their search. Tracking the movements of this animal is very useful for understanding the behavior of the species.
So one October morning the expedition in search of a white shark in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean starts. Scientists head to an area where, thanks to reports from fishing boats, several specimens of this species have been sighted.
The area is located off the coast of Massachusetts, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an area where the white shark is very likely to be found, because it is a perfect habitat for this species as it abounds in food.
The search lasted several days and was exhausting: many had already abandoned the idea of being able to find a specimen, but it was too important to complete the mission to be able to continue with their research.
After 5 days of never stopping research, OCEARCH scientists managed to capture a large male white shark. The joy for the success of the mission did not last long, what they had noticed left them all speechless ...
The first thing the scientists noticed was that the animal was dying. This large white shark had been bitten in multiple places by something larger. But what everyone was wondering was: what can the biggest predator of the seas reduce in these conditions?
Concern rose in all crew members: a white shark is hardly found dying in the waters, being the predator par excellence that dominates the seas. This one instead had a huge bite on the head and others in the rest of the body.
The thing that worried the scientists most was that this animal was not only injured, but rather was dying. Therefore a larger and more violent creature had attacked him. The question was, was this thing still around?
But now these questions could not be answered, the priority was to save the animal's life. Therefore the OCEARCH boat changed course and headed towards the shore, in order to give the necessary care to the white shark specimen.
Arriving at the port, the white shark was immediately taken care of by a team of veterinarians specialized in the care of large marine animals. The result was not obvious, because the injuries inflicted had reduced the animal to death, but the will of the veterinarians was great.
Veterinarians found the right therapy to heal the white shark's wounds, thus saving their life. The animal was a male specimen of the species, which measured 4 meters in length and was therefore larger than average.
It was given the name of Vimy, which derives from the Battle of the Vimy Ridge which sanctioned the definitive independence of the Canadian people from the European occupying forces in the 17th century.
Scientists wondered what Vimy had suffered to be reduced in those conditions. Some speculated that it might have been some as yet unknown species of marine predator, larger and more violent than the white shark.
The rumors were many: there were those who put into circulation the legend that it was an unextinct example of the Megalodon, the largest shark ever to appear on Earth, but disappeared millions of years ago. Perhaps some specimen has remained hidden from human eyes for millennia?
Scientists studied the bite marks that were present on poor Vimy's body in order to solve the mystery. But what they discovered was more disturbing than they could ever imagine.
No animal from prehistoric times had attacked Vimy. They weren't the marks of an alleged Megalodon found on the white shark's body, but they were still bites from a very similar predator.
Attacks between white sharks are not impossible to see. Although they are animals that do not attack their fellowmen, in particular circumstances it can happen that two specimens collide causing deep wounds. But why?
It can happen when a shark stationed in certain waters notices the presence of another nomadic specimen. The latter is often ordered to leave by the stationary white shark, but if the threats don't work, we switch to force. But that wasn't the case with Vimy ...
The analysis of the bite marks on Vimy's body led scientists to develop a theory, which was later found to be the most reliable. The size of the jaws, which could be measured by the marks, was that of a female white shark. Why should he attack a male specimen?
According to scientists, Vimy would have tried to mate with a female white shark much larger than him. The problem is that matings of this species are notorious for being extremely violent.
The female specimen would have bitten Vimy in the muzzle, grabbing and tugging at it for a long time. This caused very deep wounds to his face, mutilating him. Then he would receive more bites, again from the same shark, before he could free himself.
This unfortunate mishap resulted in near-fatal injuries to poor Vimy. Unfortunately, however, the nature of these animals is violent, and it is not so difficult to find similar episodes among the white shark specimens.
Despite this bad adventure, Vimy managed to stay alive and regain the strength to be able to resume swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. OCEARCH scientists applied a microchip to him in order to track his movements and study his behaviors.
Now Vimy will help those who saved his life better understand white shark behavior. They will understand what movements they make and why, allowing researchers and enthusiasts to get to know better and better the most feared marine predator of all the seas.