Watch: Entire Shark Gets Swallowed During Deep-Sea Feeding Frenzy

Researchers observing the ocean floor off the coast of South Carolina recently came across a rare shark feeding frenzy that had an unexpected ending.

On June 28, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration and Research team uploaded a video of multiple sharks dining on a swordfish carcass on the ocean floor approximately 1,476 feet below the surface, Fox News reported. The grotesque video, which was shared by NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research on Facebook and Twitter, has received more than 70,000 views so far.

 

While the school of sharks is devouring the dead swordfish, a surprising turn of events takes place. In the footage, a massive bony wreckfish hides behind the NOAA remotely controlled vehicle and suddenly snaps up a shark in its powerful jaws. The video then ends with the wreckfish holding the flailing shark in its mouth.

“Equally interesting is observing the wreckfish ambush a small dogfish. Using the ROV for cover, it demonstrated the ability of large predatory fishes to feed on smaller sharks,” Peter J. Auster, a senior research scientist at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, wrote in an NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research blog post. “The wreckfish appears unable to feed on the swordfish directly itself, but by joining the sharks, it was able to feed on an animal that was.”

The wreckfish holding a shark inside its mouth. (Photo Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research / Facebook)

No one knows what caused the swordfish to die, however, NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research said it’s likely that it was recently deceased, due to the condition of its body and the fast disappearance of flesh when the sharks ate it. It’s possible the creature might have passed away from age, disease, or another type of injury.

More on Geek.com:

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• Watch: Drone Captures Shark ‘Stalking’ Surfers at Australian Beach
• At Least 9 Great White Sharks Spotted By Researchers Off Cape Cod

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