Rare Sightings of Newborn Great White Shark Can Help Understand the Top Predator's Birthing Habits

The recent report discovered the first-ever sighting of a newborn great white shark, providing new insights into the top predator's birthing habits. The rare shark has been elusive in people's eyes, especially in the ways it can reproduce.

The research findings were published in the Environment Biology of Fishes journal. Monitoring the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) species is crucial to avoid the species population declines.

According to the recent reports, there a major gaps in terms of information and breeding history of the great white sharks. The said shark species have suffered from bycatch and fishing gear entanglement.

Rare Sightings of Newborn Great White Shark

Great White sharks have unique behavior to evade potential threats, especially marine animal breeding habits. In an effort to monitor the animals, UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes and

Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna conducted scanning efforts in July 2023.

On the central coast of California, the researchers aimed to look for potential sharks in the area. When they checked the drone camera, the researchers discovered something unusual. Upon enlarging the images, they unearthed a small and pure white shark.

The discovery could be the first sighting of a small great white shark, showing an indication of a newborn. According to the report, the Central California coast has been an essential location for the said shark's birthing.

Meanwhile, the report noted that more research is needed to confirm whether the area would become a breeding ground. The protection of great whale sharks is crucial to save the species from population decline amidst threats of pollution, habitat loss and climate change.

More Facts About Sharks

In the recent NWN report, sharks could likely attack people when they become curious or confused. People are advised to swim in supervised areas to avoid potential shark bites. When people spot any sharks, it is best to immediately go out of the waters.

Furthermore, the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) showed to have unique rapid healing abilities. One silly shark with a wounded dorsal fin indicated the first fin healing.

Researchers documented the shark species for about 332 days and found that the injured dorsal fin healed and regenerated by up to 87%. In the Pacific Ocean, experts unearthed ancient shark fossils beneath the sea.

The discovery could help better the understanding of the extinct megalodon that could have existed 2.6 million years ago.

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