"Feeding frenzy" might be an overused phrase, but when this many sharks show up to gorge on a dead whale, feeding frenzy is precisely what comes to mind.
This stunningly clear footage was captured off the coast of Australia, and according to father and son duo Grant and Sam Eastland, the toothy predators, mostly tiger sharks, hung around for three days eating their fill of the carcass.
"Different pieces would break off and float out into the ocean, and that's where the drone footage would show bigger sharks and more sharks," Eastland told Newshub. At one stage, the pair counted as many as 38 animals near the shores of Cape Cuvier, north of Perth.
It's no surprise that the dead whale quickly turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet. When tracking down a meal, sharks employ both their keen sense of smell and special ampullary (electrosensory) pores that help them detect small electromagnetic fields given off by other animals.
The floating food might look a little rancid, but that's not a problem for these marine predators. Tiger sharks in particular are notoriously unfussy eaters and have been found snacking on everything from fish and crustaceans to turtles and sea snakes – and the occasional serving of three-day-old whale flesh.
Sharks
Animal Behaviour
Animal Behaviour
