They’re one of the biggest creatures in the animal kingdom, but new footage has revealed that great white sharks are surprisingly agile.
Researchers from Murdoch University have attached cameras to eight great white sharks, and captured footage of the animals chasing seals .
Until now, scientists thought that white sharks were too big to enter kelp forests, and instead, waited for unknowing seals around the edges.
But the footage, which was filmed in the Dyer Island Marine Reserve, revealed that this isn’t the case.
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Olive Jewell, an author of the study, said: “The film we collected gives us a new perspective on this species.
“We can see how they interact with their surroundings in real time, and they are able to make some pretty spectacular 180 degree turns in the kelp forest.
“In the past we would have to guess. We would track sharks to the edge of the kelp forest but then lose the signal.”
The footage also showed fur seals blowing bubbles at the sharks - an important predator evasion technique.
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Surprisingly, the 28 hours of footage didn’t capture any kills, suggesting that kelp forests might provide refuge for seals.
The team now hopes to use the filming method to study sharks in other environments.
Dr Salvador Jorgensen, a co-author of the study, said: “In the future we hope these cameras will be used to study the sharks’ mysterious behaviour in the open ocean where they dive repeatedly to great depths.”
