From Shark Attack to Shark Tale, sharks are almost always portrayed as fierce hunters and ravenous eaters. But even for these marine predators, sometimes the hunters become the hunted.
In an epic wildlife battle captured on camera, a Cape fur seal was seen creating a ruckus last week by thrashing a juvenile thresher shark – WWE-style – in False Bay waters.
Also read: DFFE warns that seal harassment is a prosecutable offence
On their way to free dive in the kelp forest, local marine conservationist Martine Viljoen, German environmental activist Gunnar Oberhosel and friends had just left Simon’s Town harbour on board an Oceans Africa charter when they spotted the seal thrashing around in the water.
Viljoen and Oberhosel shared footage on Instagram.
Take a look:
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‘Cape fur seal 1 – 0 Thresher shark,’ said Viljoen in the caption.
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In his caption, Oberhosel explained that seals rely on their upper body strength to thrash their prey around until a chunk becomes loose that they can eat.
‘It’s a fascinating sight that happens hundreds of times around the Cape Peninsula,’ he said.
‘By the time I jumped in the water to check on the juvenile thresher shark, only 1/3 of the body was left.’
Commenting on his encounter, Oberhosel told Cape {town} Etc that usually a Cape fur seal will hunt fish or octopuses but this time it was a thresher shark (a species known for the harsh whip of its tail), making it a memorable and ‘unusual sighting for False Bay’.
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Also read:
SA-designed SharkSafe Barrier expands to international waters
Picture: @theglobetrotterguy / Instagram