A video has gone viral of a half-eaten shark - coined the ‘zombie shark’ - still scouring the water for prey after being attacked on return to the ocean.
The oceanic blacktip shark was released back into the ocean off the coast of Spain in recent days, by 35-year-old scientist Dr. Mario Lebrato, when it was swarmed.
A group of other sharks attacked the unsuspecting animal as soon as it was returned to the water - inflicting fatal injuries.
According to Dr. Lebrato, these attackers included a number of bull sharks - which can weigh up to a hefty 400kg.
After the assault, however, the shark continued to swim away in search of food, with half of its body missing.
It continued to fight for around 20 minutes according to the scientist, but it eventually died as a result of its injuries.
Speaking about the now-viral incident, Dr. Lebrato said: “Sharks eat sharks, that is well known, but it is super difficult to film and document.”
Similar scenes of cannibalism are not uncommon and can be easily explained.
According to scientists, shark attacks on other sharks are more and more common due to human intervention.
When fishing nets are placed in the water and unintentionally trap these underwater creatures, they send out distress signals and then become targets for other sharks nearby.
