Goliath Grouper Swallows Shark in One Bite [IVDEO]

Sharks may not be the baddest creatures in the sea after all.

A goliath grouper surprised a group of fishermen earlier this month when it snatched a shark off their line and swallowed it whole in one giant bite.

A YouTube video of the catch shows the fishermen reeling in a 4-foot black-tip shark off the coast of Bonita Springs in Florida - only to have the shark disappear in the blink of an eye as the grouper appeared.

[Credit: Gimbb14]

Uploaded Aug. 19 by fisherman and reddit user Gimbb14, the video has already racked up more than 19 million hits at last count.

After the unexpected feeding frenzy, the fishermen simply sat back and laughed as they watched nature take its course.

Gimbb14 wrote on reddit of the amazing incident: "As I was dehooking the shark, the goliath came back and inspected but didn't attack him. Finally, about an hour after the nurse shark, I hooked the black tip [shark] behind the boat in the chum slick, and then the hilarity in the video began."

Goliath groupers in the Atlantic can grow to about 8 feet long and weigh as much as 800 pounds, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida south to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. They occur in shallow, inshore waters to depths of 150 feet (46 meters), and prefer areas of rock, coral, and mud bottoms.

These solitary creatures are noted not just for their size, but for a unique feature that involves an audible rumbling sound generated by the muscular contraction of the swim bladder. This sound travels great distances underwater and is also used to locate other goliath grouper.

It's also ironic that predators of these massive sea creatures include sandbar and great hammerhead sharks.

Though, clearly that doesn't stop this goliath grouper from taking a bite.