Rare shark's 'surprising' behaviour filmed off Aussie island in 'amazing encounter'
A rare creature's entertaining behaviour off the coast of a popular Aussie island has left a local shaking with excitement. Last week, Oliver Scheele was flying his drone around Magnetic Island, near Townsville, 'surveying and looking for ocean wildlife' — as he does often — when he caught site of an endangered scalloped hammerhead hunting during high tide.
Incredible footage shows the hungry shark frantically trying to find something to eat on the water's surface. At one point it even munches on a leaf, only to spit it out moments later.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Oliver said the 'amazing encounter' left him stunned as he struggled to keep the drone steady due to his excitement.
'I was definitely surprised by its behaviour, that's one of the reasons I was so excited as well as the conditions being stellar,' he said. 'You're always on edge during these fleeting moments since you never know what the animal is going to do or how long you'll see it for.
'The stars really have to align to get visuals like it — you've got wind, water clarity, animal behaviour on the surface etcetera — truly an amazing experience. So with all that it in mind it was very hard to keep calm!'
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While scalloped hammerhead sharks are relatively rare to see given they are globally classified as critically endangered, they can be found off the coast of New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
'Although it seems hard to believe, endangered scalloped and great hammerheads are still fished for fins and flesh in the waters of the Northern Territory and Western Australia,' according to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Luckily for Oliver, he's spotted a total of three scalloped hammerhead sharks cruising around Magnetic Island over the years.
'There's a local that comes into Horseshoe Bay most dusks and dawns. It's always exciting to see a hammerhead pop up!' he said, suggesting local sharks species are attracted to trawlers that are often seen in the area.
'You can see the sharks feeding on small dead fish floating. Sharks really love easy meals so if they catch a scent, they will follow. Also being creatures of habit they will patrol areas that proved successful in the past.'
Unfortunately, Oliver said the hammerhead he filmed last week was 'really close to the drumlines', and he feared it would become entangled, as others previously have.
'The drumlines don't discriminate on what they catch — they are a huge threat for endangered shark populations,' the local told Yahoo, claiming marine life can often become stuck for hours or even a full day.
'Hammerheads have a low tolerance to stress so safe releases are uncommon,' he added.
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