Incredible footage of what might be the world’s ‘most battered’ great white shark has been captured near South Australia’s Neptune Islands.

The footage, posted to the Sea Dragon Films YouTube channel, shows a great white shark swimming beside underwater photographer Dean Spraakman, with its fins, gills, mouth and body covered in scratches. 

Mr Spraakman said that he has never seen a great white in such poor condition before and while he originally thought the marine creature was in a lot of pain, it was actually extremely calm and gentle in its demeanour. 

‘No one has ever seen a shark in a condition like this before,’ Mr Spraakman told The Sun

‘He was very calm and… came very close, within an arm’s reach from me – sometimes when you get a good shark like that, they just want to come and look you in the eye, just have a really good look at who you are.’  

Video footage captured by Mr Spraakman shows the shark swimming alongside other small fish, its skin worn away in places and bite marks visible on its flank.

While his team suspected boat propellers might be the cause of the injuries, other experts suggest that the damage was the result of scrapping with other sharks. 

Footage has emerged of possibly the 'world's most beaten' great white shark of the coast of South Australia, near the Neptune Islands

Footage has emerged of possibly the 'world's most beaten' great white shark of the coast of South Australia, near the Neptune Islands

Footage has emerged of possibly the ‘world’s most beaten’ great white shark of the coast of South Australia, near the Neptune Islands

National Geographic explorer Professor Yannis Papastamatiou said the large male shark looked to have been in a few fights.

‘Females are often heavily scarred from mating behaviour, but males can get bitten as well during dominance interactions between sharks… like a larger shark may want a smaller shark and dominate the smaller individual with a non-fatal warning bite,’ he said. 

Some of the unique scars around its face could also have been caused by the shark’s prey, seals. 

The shark is covered in scratches and wounds, which often are a result of hunting or scraps with other sharks

The shark is covered in scratches and wounds, which often are a result of hunting or scraps with other sharks

The shark is covered in scratches and wounds, which often are a result of hunting or scraps with other sharks

Great white sharks are the largest-known predatory fish in the world with its thin torpedo-shaped body allows them to reach underwater swimming speeds of 56km/h in short bursts.

Based on CSIRO figures from 2018, there are only 5,500 great whites left on Australia’s eastern coast line.   

‘White sharks live in coastal, shelf, and continental slope waters around Australia from the Montebello Islands in north-western Western Australia, south around the coast to at least as far north as central Queensland including Tasmanian waters,’ CSIRO research said. 

Source: Daily Mail

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Mackay teen sues Massive W over grotesque damage he gained whereas procuring on Boxing Day

A youngster is suing Woolworths Group after he reduce his ankle at…

What Happened To Lewis Vaughan Jones? Why Does He Wear A Hearing Aid? BBC Presenter Illness & Health Issues!

What Happened To Lewis Vaughan Jones? Lewis Vaughan Jones, a prominent British…

Rick Smith Jr Height, Weight, Net Worth, Age, Birthday, Wikipedia, Who, Instagram, Biography

Rick Smith Jr is a performer and performer who has a total…

Coons: It 'Will Be Difficult' to Accept Cuts to Domestic Spending

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Sen. Chris…