Seals aren’t the one meal on the menu for excellent white sharks off the New England coast.
A white shark was just lately noticed feasting on a harbor porpoise off the Maine coast, an “amazing sighting” that exhibits the apex predators usually are not restricted to Cape Cod throughout the summer time — they usually additionally eat different prey.
The shark on Friday was seen chomping on the porpoise round Cliff Island in Casco Bay, which is close to the location the place a lady was killed by a terrific white two years in the past.
“Thanks to citizen scientists Kasey Lyn Watkins and family for sending me info about their amazing sighting,” posted MA Sharks, which is run by native shark knowledgeable John Chisholm, who confirms sightings for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app.
“They spotted this juvenile white shark feeding on a harbor porpoise off Maine,” Chisholm added. “It’s a good reminder that white sharks occur off Maine and they don’t just eat seals.”
While Cape Cod is normally the main focus of shark exercise this time of yr, Maine has had a number of nice white sightings and predation incidents caught on digicam this summer time. That included a spotter seeing a terrific white shark chew a seal in half off Pemaquid Point in Bristol, in addition to a shark seen killing and consuming a seal off Whitehead Island Lighthouse.
Cliff Island in Casco Bay is near Harpswell’s Bailey Island, the place a lady was killed by a shark two years in the past. It was Maine’s first reported lethal shark assault in its historical past.
“Remember if you are lucky enough to see a white shark please report it,” MA Sharks posted after the shark was noticed consuming the harbor porpoise. “You can use the Sharktivity app or, if you’re in ME, you can also use the DMR shark sighting report page.”
Meanwhile, the Sharktivity app lit up with shark sightings off the Cape over the weekend, with many stories of apex predators near shore throughout the busiest shark month of the yr.
The Sharktivity app issued a shark alert Sunday morning after a white shark was noticed about 50 yards offshore Nauset Beach in Orleans. Also, a spotter posted a photograph of an enormous 16- to 18-foot nice white shark off Chatham’s Monomoy Island, which is a hotspot for excellent whites throughout the summer time and early fall.
Hammerhead sharks have been seen extra steadily off of Martha’s Vineyard this summer time, sparking seashore swimming closures. That continued over the weekend when a hammerhead sighting triggered the momentary closures of South Beach and Norton Point Beach.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”