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California marine researchers captured a baby great white shark on camera for the first time ever this summer, and now, we have the photos and videos to prove it!
According to UC Riverside News, wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes were searching for sharks near the Santa Barbara coast when they came across a "shark pup" that has never been filmed before.
That's right. A baby great white!
The 5-foot long shark was "pure white" opposed to most great whites that are grey on top. Sternes detailed the unique discovery to UC Riverside News, stating that the baby shark was actually shedding a layer of skin as it was swimming.
“We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed from the body as it was swimming. I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”
Scientists know a decent amount about great white sharks, but much information regarding their "birthing habits" remains a mystery. Gauna shed light on what this discovery means for the scientific community.
“Where white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark science. No one has ever been able to pinpoint where they are born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive. There have been dead white sharks found inside deceased pregnant mothers. But nothing like this.”
So, if baby great white shark sightings are so rare, how were Gauna and Sternes about to capture this baby on camera?
While great white sharks are typically born in deep waters, this little pup was birthed extremely close to the shore, allowing the researchers a better look.
More information is needed to confirm if the area is an official great white shark breeding ground or not. If it is, then certain laws will be put in place to protect these magnificent creatures as they repopulate the seas.