‘Curious' great white shark approaches camera off New Zealand. See ‘very rare' video
When scientists in New Zealand checked the footage from an underwater camera, they expected to see a variety of fish and some sharks, and they did. But, much to their surprise, they had also recorded a 'very rare' video of a great white shark.
Researchers visited Dusky Sound in February to conduct a Baited Remote Underwater Video survey, or BRUV survey. The project involved dropping a baited camera unit to the seafloor, leaving it to record and then collecting it and checking the footage, New Zealand's Department of Conservation said in a March 13 news release.
'It's a great opportunity to collect valuable data and to see what species are attracted to the bait,' Richard Kinsey, a senior ranger with the department, said in the release.
In total, the team recorded over 200 hours of footage, officials said. But a roughly two-minute-long clip stood out.
The video showed an adult male great white shark approaching the camera, scaring away another smaller shark and some fish in the process. The shark circled the camera several times, tried to eat the bait and knocked the contraption around. Eventually, the shark seems to give up and swims away.
'It was quite a shock!' Adam Smith, a researcher with Sea Through Science involved in the project, said in the release. 'We had been laughing about how cool it would be to see something like that. It's very rare to get such great footage.'
'We've only seen a white shark once before during our surveys, at the Kermadec Islands, the other end of New Zealand,' Smith said. 'It's great to see these majestic creatures in their natural environment and to see how curious they are around the BRUVs.'
New Zealand is considered 'one of the world's hot spots' for great white sharks, officials said. These iconic oceanic predators frequent the coasts, harbors and nearby open ocean as part of their migration patterns. Still, great white sharks are considered endangered in New Zealand and protected by law.
Surveys at Dusky Sound have finished, but researchers are still studying their footage.
Dusky Sound is along the southwestern coast of New Zealand's South Island and on the opposite end of the country from Auckland.
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