Shark Eat Shark (2023) Movie Script
[Narrator] Around the world, reports of
shark-on-shark attacks are on the rise.
[Jake] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[man 1] Look at that shark
trying to eat that shark!
[woman] Oh, there's another one!
Oh, my God!
[Narrator] Now, off South Africa's Western
Cape, a new hotspot may have emerged.
[Lacey] Drone is in the sky.
Shark look likes
it's about 15 meters to your port.
That's four great white sharks
around this boat. This is a shark fest!
[Narrator] A bay where White Sharks
are suspected of hunting other sharks.
We are positive that white sharks
are professional shark hunters.
[Narrator] Can a team
of scientists find hard proof
that these sharks are
turning on their own kind?
Yes! [smooches]
[Enrico] This could hold
very important information.
[Narrator]
As the hunter becomes the hunted,
the very future of South Africa's
white sharks is at stake.
[theme music plays]
Mossel Bay, South Africa.
Home to the legendary White Shark.
The largest predatory fish on earth,
they can grow to over 18 feet.
-Scientists Dr. Enrico Gennari
-Slow speed, yeah?
-[Narrator] and Lacey Williams
-[Lacey] Right, coming down to you.
[Narrator] have been studying South
Africa's white sharks for over a decade.
[Enrico] At any one time,
we believe there are
between 40 and 60 Great White Sharks
here in Mossel Bay, patrolling.
[Narrator] In the last ten years,
white shark numbers have dropped
across South Africa.
Now, Mossel Bay is one of the last places
you can still see them up close.
And what draws them here is food.
[Narrator] For years, it was thought
that what brings the white sharks
to Mossel Bay
is this 650 foot long rock.
[seals barking]
[Enrico] All the big bulls are standing
with their pointy nose up.
[Narrator] It's home
to over 4000 cape fur seals.
Ambush hunters,
white sharks like to surprise their prey.
Hanging in the deep waters
around the island,
their grey backs blend
into the background,
making them difficult to spot from above.
Seals, silhouetted at the surface,
stand out in stark contrast.
[tense music]
They hit at speeds of 20 miles per hour.
These aerial assaults have
made the white sharks
of Mossel Bay famous across the world.
But all is not as it seems.
[Lacey] We thought that it was the seals
that brought the sharks here to Mossel
Bay, but the math doesn't quite add up.
[Narrator] Adult white sharks need to eat
the equivalent of one seal
every three days.
That would amount to 1500 seal kills
every season in Mossel Bay.
[growling]
But only 150 end up as shark food.
So what else is going on?
We think that there's something
far more interesting
and exciting going on beneath the surface.
Are those sharks
focusing their diet on the seals,
or are they eating something else?
[Narrator] To find out, Lacey
looks for clues from the air.
[Lacey] In the right conditions,
when the sun is low in the sky,
and there isn't glare
on the surface of the water,
we can use drones to see what's
going on beneath the surface.
[Narrator] Recently,
in nearby Plettenberg Bay,
Lacey recorded an unexpected glimpse
of what the white sharks are up against.
[Lacey] Seals are pretty tricky to hunt,
they're not as easy as you think.
They're agile.
They've got claws on their flippers.
They've got a bite akin to a dog.
So they can be dangerous.
[Narrator] Her rare
footage shows seals mob,
and then chase off
a nine-foot white shark.
It's the first time a research team
have recorded
seals fighting back in this way.
If Mossel Bay's white sharks are facing
a similar challenge, what are they eating?
[Lacey] Our hunch is that
they actually might be spending
more time hunting other sharks than seals.
[Narrator] Captured on camera, reports
of shark on shark attacks are on the rise.
[man] Jake, get over here, hurry up.
[Jake] Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Can't believe he got sharked!
[Narrator]
New camera tech makes it possible
[Jake] Sharks getting sharked.
[Narrator]
for amateurs across the world
[Jake] Having a tough day, this guy.
[Narrator] to record
these rarely seen predation events.
[man 2] Yeah, another shark.
[man 1] Oh, look at that shark
trying to eat that shark!
[woman] Oh, my God! What the
[screams]
-[man 1] Did you get that on video?
-[man 2] Oh, my God! Oh!
[woman] Oh, there's another one!
Oh my God!
[Narrator] Have Mossel Bay's white sharks
also developed a taste for their own?
High above the bay,
the team set up a research base,
where they'll analyze their data to look
for proof of shark on shark attacks.
This is seal island, and you can see
this is a hotspot for the White Sharks.
Especially in winter,
where the young of the seals
venture for the first time
into the ocean.
[Narrator] Over the last ten years,
Enrico has tagged
more than 30 white sharks
with tiny acoustic transmitters.
Every time one passes
within half a mile of a listening station.
It records the date and
time of each individual.
It reveals a seasonal pattern
to their behavior
that could provide a starting point
for the investigation.
It's fascinating
to see all of those shark tracks
so densely concentrated
around one hot spot.
[Enrico] They're really focused.
They're there for a reason,
and it is to hunt seals.
[Narrator] In winter, the young seals
leave the island for the first time.
Without any knowledge or experience
of how to avoid predators.
Many fall victim
to the waiting white sharks.
But in summer, everything changes.
The seals are breeding, and therefore,
not entering as much of the water.
And therefore, the white sharks
shift their attention
to those three reefs
here, here, and here.
And those reefs are just outside
the main three river mouths.
[Narrator] With no seals
around these river mouths,
what's attracting the white sharks?
[Lacey] It's really fascinating
to see them go from one area
in the bay to spread out to three
different areas throughout the bay.
[Narrator] Shallow estuaries
are often nursery grounds
for young sharks and places where
smaller coastal sharks hunt.
This looks like it could be our first big
clue, at these river mouths. Right?
And that is exactly
where our stakeout should begin.
[Lacey] I agree.
[Narrator] But before their
stakeout can even start,
news comes in that could close down
Enrico and Lacey's investigation.
240 miles from Mossel Bay, there are
sightings of another deadly predator.
Orca!
At over 22 feet,
they dwarf most white sharks.
Armed with three inch long teeth,
these highly intelligent mammals
hunt in packs.
They're one of the only predators
that are a threat to white sharks.
In the last eight years,
orca have been responsible
for a spate of gruesome attacks
on South Africa's large sharks.
[blowing]
I'm really worried
because white sharks already face
a lot of different threats caused by us.
[Narrator] For Enrico and Lacey,
the pressure is on.
If the orca arrive in the Bay,
the sharks will flee.
[whale calls]
[dramatic music]
[Narrator] In Mossel Bay,
the clock is ticking.
With orca sighted down the coast,
the stake out begins.
Shark scientist Lacey Williams takes up
position next to the Kleinbrak River.
Out on the water, Enrico Gennari
preps camera traps
to find out what the white sharks
eat when seal is off the menu.
We call it a BRUV,
a baited remote underwater video camera.
And it's our eyes under the water
without us disturbing the animals.
The bait attracts all the preys
that are in this area.
Okay.
Bye, bye.
Justin, let's go to the next spot please.
[Narrator] Enrico deploys
BRUVs at the three river mouths
identified as white shark hotspots.
[Enrico] By dropping all these
BRUVs on those river mouths,
we really hope to see and
understand what makes them
so important for Great White Sharks.
Lacey, the BRUV is deployed.
[Narrator] With the BRUVs recording,
the team turn their
attention to the white sharks.
Their plan, to attach a camera
that will record their every move.
[Lacey] How's it, Enrico?
Drone is in the sky,
and it looks like you've got one
about 80 meters to your port
slowly heading your way.
[Narrator] With eyes in the sky,
Lacey guides Enrico
to another white shark hotspot,
just off the Greatbrak River.
[Lacey] I think the shark
is swimming over the reef,
so it also looks
like it's in a good spot.
[Enrico over radio]
Sounds perfect, thank you.
This little baby is something
I'm really proud of.
It's something I designed, it's a fin cam.
It's a camera that is positioned and
attached to the dorsal fin of the shark
to give us a perfect POV of the shark.
Hopefully for the first time ever,
we might be able to see
a great white eating another shark,
something that has never been seen before.
Sharks look like it's about 15 meters
to your port, slowly heading your way.
[Enrico] There's a shark.
[Narrator] Now it's up to Enrico to entice
a shark to within striking range.
[Enrico] Right there! It's about
two meters, look how beautiful it is!
[Narrator] Coaxing a white
shark into a trap is not easy.
It's a camera shy shark.
It's a different one.
[Narrator] But as sharks
start to surround the boat
[Enrico] The third one, four!
[Narrator] Enrico's chances increase.
That's four great white sharks
around this boat. This is a shark fest!
[Enrico] Argh!
Yes! Yes! Come on!
Well done. Well done.
Yes!
Go, baby, go, show us some secrets!
Yes, wow.
[Narrator] Back at base,
the footage has been retrieved
from the baited camera traps.
Joining Lacey to review it,
is research leader Dr. Neil Hammerschlag.
-[Lacey] How's it Neil? Welcome!
-Hey, Lace.
[Narrator] An international shark
specialist, he's flown in from Florida
-Let's start scrubbing the footage.
-[Narrator] to work on the data analysis.
[Lacey] That'd be neat.
[Narrator]
The video reveals the river mouth,
a summer white shark hotspot,
teems with life.
[Neil] Look at this. Okay.
We have a pajama catshark
at the bait of this BRUV, okay?
-Okay?
-So cute.
Swimming around doing its thing.
Okay. Now, wait for it.
[Lacey] Ah!
[Neil] Wow. White shark comes in, okay?
Takes a bite at the BRUV,
catshark immediately freezes, okay.
[Narrator] Neil and Lacey spot their first
clue. The catshark appears to play dead.
[Neil] And what's like super cool is,
it's not even breathing.
It's holding its breath.
And by doing that, it's not
pumping water over its gills,
which would otherwise be generating
a weak electrical field
that the great white could pick up.
[Narrator] It's an indication
of what might be going on
between the bay's white sharks
and their smaller relatives.
That's crazy cool.
And that's a clear prey response
to the presence of a predator.
[Neil] I've never seen footage
of this kind ever before.
And it's really a breakthrough
point for our study.
When you actually look
at the behavior of the sharks
that we're seeing on the videos,
they act like they're scared
of white sharks.
And you know what runs from white sharks?
White shark food.
[Narrator]
The next day brings alarming news.
[Lacey] Definitely orcas.
Oh, there might be one further out.
There might be one further out that way.
[Narrator] With her phone, Lacey spots
orca at the southern edge of Mossel Bay.
[Lacey] Nope, nope, there's more.
There's more.
[Narrator] It's a potential
disaster for the investigation.
If the orca hit the bay,
the whites sharks will vanish,
or worse, be attacked.
[Enrico] Time is running out
to get all this data, all this footage,
and we really need to obtain
the last pieces of this puzzle
that we're trying to solve.
[Narrator] With no time to lose, Enrico
sets out early to hunt for the fincam.
Okay, not too far.
It's right here.
[Narrator] It's been over 12 hours
since it was attached
to the back of one
of the Bay's White Sharks.
Right there,
but keep it short at the anchor!
[Narrator] Luckily, they've had a lead.
The shark has been spotted in the bay.
Now, we have
the shark only 20 meters away.
[banging]
Loud noises usually scare animals away,
but with sharks,
they are very inquisitive,
and they come and investigate what it is.
Come on, come, come, come.
[Narrator] The fincam should
have automatically released,
but the mechanism failed.
Enrico will need to remove it
from this nine foot predator himself.
It's coming right here,
come on, come on, come on.
[banging]
It's all or nothing.
Come on, baby. Come on, baby.
-[Narrator] After 20 minutes
-[Enrico] Shark here!
[Narrator] it's close enough for Enrico
to attempt the rescue operation.
[Enrico] Missed it!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
[smooches]
[Narrator] Enrico is finally
reunited with the camera.
And its priceless footage.
This is one of those moments
that you remember forever.
[groans]
It's like the Oscar, would you say.
I want to thank my momma,
my wife, my daughter.
This could be a small step for humankind,
but a giant breach
for the Great White Shark.
I can't wait now to go back
and download it.
Hey, it says "If you find it,
you get a reward." Can I get a reward?
[laughs]
[Narrator] Back on shore, the team review
the hard won fincam footage.
Will it prove the white sharks
are hunting their own kind?
Oh, Enrico, check this out!
It looks like our white shark
is swimming really close to the seabed.
It could be anywhere in the water column,
and it's swimming along the sea floor.
That's wild.
[Narrator] It's exactly where the small,
in-shore sharks might be found.
It's definitely between reefs and sand
and really circling in that area.
[Lacey] Oh, that's interesting.
The way it's moving back and forth,
it kinda looks like
it's searching for something.
And remember,
they don't do things by chance.
If it's there, spending a lot of time
there at the bottom, there is a reason.
[Narrator]
Although the camera was a success,
it did not capture footage of an attack.
[barking]
It's now the peak of the summer breeding
season on Seal Island.
There are fewer young seals
in the water to prey on,
so the white sharks must
find something else to eat.
Over the past 6 weeks,
the team have recorded
over 60 hours of BRUV footage
at the three river mouths.
[Lacey] Oh!
That looks like a smooth hound!
[Enrico] It's definitely
a smooth hound shark.
Really, this shows us
all the small shark species
that are there,
potential quick snack for a white shark.
I mean they're all bite sized.
That's for sure.
[Enrico] And all these again, smooth
hounds coming back in, photo bombing.
-Oh, and there's a little PJ!
-[Enrico laughs]
[Enrico] Those reefs close to the river
mouth are packed with smaller sharks.
I think we're starting
to see a pattern here.
[Enrico] Definitely.
[Narrator] By far the most common shark
showing up is the smooth hound.
Growing to almost six feet,
they are bottom dwellers
that feed on prey like crab and squid.
[Lacey]
Our evidence is starting to mount up.
The fin camera and tracking data
shows that our great whites
are hanging out in areas just outside
river mouths in Mossel Bay.
Our BRUV data is showing
that these same areas
are teeming with life,
including smaller shark species
and our smooth hound sharks.
So when we couple all this data together,
this suggests that our smooth
hounds and our Great Whites
are somehow associated with each other.
[Narrator] Have the team discovered
what the white sharks feed on
at the river mouths?
If it is smooth-hounds, it's a concern.
They're being heavily
fished all along this coast.
[Lacey] This is really
important for us to determine,
because the smooth-hound
is an endangered species,
and it is highly targeted
by commercial fishing.
[Narrator]
With the Orca threat still present,
to protect the white sharks
from these fishing pressures,
the team must identify their prey.
To do so, Enrico turns to someone
from Mossel Bay's bloody past.
-Hey, Brian!
-Hello, Enrico, nice to see you!
[Narrator] Brian McFarlane is a shark
fisherman turned conservationist.
[Brian] When people used to
catch the great whites,
this coast was the place to catch them.
[Narrator]
Like many others in the '70s and '80s,
he hunted great white sharks for sport.
[Brian] There are people
in the world that want
to prove their macho-ness and catch
the biggest, most fearsome animal
in the sea, and that being the great
white, so that was the incentive.
I must emphasize I'm not proud
of what I'm telling you,
but If I go back 40 years,
when I went out to catch a shark,
I would see 20, to 30, to 40
great whites a day
even before we put bait in the water,
you wouldn't believe it.
They were always there.
But, the big but,
when the Jaws movie came out,
that was the turning point,
everyone hated
or wanted to kill a great white,
and I unfortunately was one of them.
You brought it back, hundreds of people
would come onto the jetty,
you would hang this shark up,
and you'd be a hero,
big photographs, and things like that.
[Narrator] Today, white shark
fishing is outlawed,
but the population never recovered.
[Brian] When I think
about all these poor sharks
that I killed, I really, really,
really have terrible regrets.
We didn't think
of the future of these animals.
[Narrator] But Brian's knowledge can
now help this vulnerable species.
So in order to attract and catch
a white shark, how did you used to do it?
[Brian] We cut open the stomachs,
they were full of smaller sharks,
different species,
rays, and smaller sharks.
There was virtually
no seals in their stomach.
And that's when we realized that the great
white's primary food is a smaller shark.
They were the best bait.
If you had to choose one species of shark
to catch a white shark, what would it be?
[Brian] There's not even
a question that the smooth-hound shark
was the Great White's favorite food.
[Narrator] With a solid lead
Enrico turns his attention
to the smooth-hound
sharks and some new tech.
[Enrico] Now, it's time to
really step things up.
We are positive.
We can prove that white sharks
are professional shark hunters.
[Narrator] Working with
research assistant, Sophu Qoma,
the team plan to fit 20 smooth-hounds
with a special predator tag.
[Enrico] So far we have been following
the predator, the Great White Sharks,
but if we really want
to crack the mystery,
we need to better understand its prey.
-Give me the tag number
-Tag number is 6207.
[Narrator]
The tags will track the smooth-hounds.
-6207, so we just need a shark now!
-[Sophu] Awesome!
[Narrator] But they have
another exceptional function.
If a smooth-hound gets eaten,
the predator's stomach acids
will trigger the tag to emit a new signal,
alerting Enrico to the kill.
[Enrico] Then by looking
at the data afterwards,
we can also look at
who could have eaten that shark.
This little tag could be
instrumental to tell us
if and when the great white shark
launch their cannibal attacks.
Everyone in position? Sophu?
[Narrator] At this time of year,
the smooth-hounds come together at
the river mouths in large numbers to mate.
An easy target for predators,
like the bay's white sharks.
The size of the smooth-hound
that we're trying to catch
is between 1 meter and 1.5 meter.
This is the perfect fast
food for a Great White Shark.
Okay. Shark is on!
It's fighting, Justin.
Smooth hound! Woo-hoo!
Okay, put the tag in the solution.
Can you pass?
[Narrator] The first shark they've caught
is a five foot smooth-hound.
Okay. Okay. I'm holding it.
Hoo!
[Narrator] Placed upside down,
the shark enters a trance-like state
known as tonic immobility.
[Enrico] Okay. Scalpel, please.
Little incision on the abdominal cavity.
[Narrator] The team works fast to place
the tag into the shark's body cavity.
[Enrico] Okay. The suture allows us
to keep the tag in,
but most importantly, to get
the shark wound healed,
and the shark will be free to become
a researcher in action.
End of surgery. Thank you.
Now, it's just time to release it,
let it do its sharky stuff,
and hopefully be eaten
by a great white shark.
Okay. Go.
Okay. Ready?
You got it. Yeah. [laughs]
She wanted to go!
Woo-hoo!
[Narrator] Over the next two weeks,
Enrico and his team
tag more of the bay's smooth-hound sharks.
[Enrico] Shark on!
[Narrator] Each one increases
their chances of recording evidence
[Enrico] 6211.
[Narrator] of a shark on shark predation.
[Enrico] Okay. Definitely good.
[laughs] Next one.
So that's 20.
Okay. Good. Bye-bye.
Nice. There she is.
Yes, nice!
That is for a monster
great white shark dinner!
[Narrator] But then their
worst fears are realized.
The orca arrive in Mossel Bay,
and the great white killings begin.
[blowing]
[ocean waves]
[Narrator] The last thing Lacey
and Enrico's investigation needs
is a pod of five orca,
for the first time in South Africa,
the detail of their highly coordinated
attack is captured on camera.
First, the pod singles out a white shark
and chases it for more than an hour,
then one orca delivers a fatal bite.
[blowing]
[ambient music]
So yesterday we saw,
or we found a white shark carcass
that had washed up just right here
on this section of the beach.
[Narrator] The ten-foot teenager is one
of two sharks thought to have been killed.
When orcas hunt white shark,
they can grab them
by the pectoral fins
and actually rip them apart.
[Narrator] With surgical precision,
they target the shark's fat, rich liver,
ripping it clean out.
[Lacey] It leaves this gaping cavity.
[Narrator] It's the first recorded death
of a white shark by an orca in Mossel Bay.
[Lacey] It's a day that will
live with me for the rest of my life,
to see a beautiful animal torn apart in,
in a way that only nature can do,
kind of renders you speechless.
Obviously, in my mind,
there was that dark feeling
that a white shark was killed by an orca.
I still remember the goosebumps,
the knowing that something even worse
was going to follow, the disappearance
of all the other white sharks,
and that happened in the last week,
we haven't seen
any white sharks here in Mossel Bay.
[Narrator] With less than
1,000 white sharks remaining,
every individual is precious.
The death of two takes South Africa's
population one step closer to collapse.
[ambient music]
Seven weeks after the deadly orca attack
-[Lacey] Woooo!
-[Narrator] some good news.
[Lacey] Enrico, we've got two sharks!
We got two sharks!
-Yes! There's a white shark right there.
-[Lacey] Wooo, beautiful shark.
[Narrator] White sharks
are spotted in the bay.
[Lacey] We've got two
beautiful sharks around us.
[Enrico] This is the
second great white shark
we've just had in about ten minutes.
[Narrator] And with the orca gone,
they're back in abundance.
[Enrico] Shark, after shark, after shark.
[Narrator] With a window of opportunity,
the team prepares to gather
one final piece of evidence,
tissue samples
from the bay's white sharks.
Now is definitely game on.
We need to figure out
what these sharks are really eating.
[Narrator] When sharks eat,
the fatty acids in their food
leave a unique chemical signature
on their muscle tissue.
With careful analysis,
it can be read like a food diary.
We are what we eat, and the tissue samples
provide us with a map.
It's like looking back at what that shark
has been eating for the last 6 months.
[Narrator] To get consistency.
[Lacey] All right, it's coming
towards you, Enrico!
You're getting within five meters,
you see it? Coming from your right?
[Narrator] The sample must be taken from
muscle tissue just behind the dorsal fin.
Yeah, but it's moving away again.
Come back.
[Lacey] Nicely done.
Let's get some tissue out here.
I'm really looking forward to see
what story this sample can tell us.
[Narrator] The samples will be
sent to Neil's lab for analysis.
[Enrico] But I need to put it
in the freezer quickly. Here we go.
Cool!
Let's get another one!
-[Lacey] You got eyes?
-[Enrico] Yes! I see it.
Yeah! Got it!
[Narrator] It's been six months
since shark scientists
Enrico Gennari and Lacey Williams
started gathered evidence
in a bid to discover
whether Mossel Bay's white sharks
are killing their own kind.
It's now time for Enrico
to collect the predator tag data.
Once uploaded,
it will reveal if any of the bay's
smooth hounds have been eaten.
Being able to prove with our data
that smooth-hounds sharks are eaten
by great white sharks
is a key piece of evidence
in our investigation.
[Narrator] Receivers dotted across the bay
track the smooth-hounds movements.
[Enrico] And we see they
stayed within in the bay.
But watch now, one by one.
Their color is changing.
That means they have been eaten,
their signal is changing,
they are in the stomach of
something much bigger.
70% of our tagged sharks have been eaten
close to the river mouth.
Unbelievable.
[Narrator] And there's one prime suspect.
[Enrico] To prey on a 4.5 foot
shark, you need to be quite big,
and this is white shark country,
so white sharks are the main culprit here.
[Narrator] Enrico's hunch
is still to be confirmed.
But the data takes them
a step closer to proving
that Mossel Bay's white sharks
hunt their own kind.
[Enrico] This is very important
information, but at the same time,
it's also so concerning,
because those small sharks
are so heavily overfished
and therefore not managing
these small sharks means
we're not managing the great white sharks.
Okay. Let's anchor up.
[Narrator] The team had set out
to prove that instead of seals,
Mossel Bay's white sharks
hunt and kill smaller sharks.
Now, research leader
Neil Hammerschlag is back,
with what they hope
is the decisive evidence,
the results of the white
shark tissue samples.
-[Neil] Lacey, Enrico!
-How's it Neil?
-[Neil] Good to see you.
-Likewise. Welcome, welcome.
-[Enrico] Welcome!
-[Neil] Buddy. All right, cool.
I've got hopefully
some good news to show you.
-All right.
-[Enrico] Show me what you got.
[Narrator] When sharks eat,
fatty acid markers in their food
leave a unique chemical imprint
on their muscle tissue.
By analyzing the relative levels of each
marker, a meaningful pattern emerges.
[Neil] These are the results
from the first samples
of muscle tissue analysis
from any Mossel Bay sharks.
And what we're seeing is
their muscle is dominated by fatty acids,
which you would find
associated with other sharks.
-This is great.
-Yeah, this is crazy.
What you're looking at here
is the first evidence
that the sharks in Mossel Bay are-- the
majority of their diet is other sharks.
[Narrator]
But that's not all the data reveals.
Two markers associated
with bottom dwelling,
and estuarine prey are showing
up exactly as you'd expect
if the white sharks were feeding on sharks
from Mossel Bay's river mouths.
-[Enrico] This is proof.
-[Neil] Yeah, absolutely.
Now, if you take this one step
further and compare
what we found here with other locations.
[Narrator] When compared to
other white shark hotspots
like Australia, it reveals that
Mossel Bay's white sharks
have less than half the level
of fatty acid markers
associated with seals.
[Neil] What I really didn't have an idea
of, is what it would show is just
the magnitude, that in fact the sharks
whole chemical composition
of their actual tissue suggests
that what they're actually integrating
in the tissues is based on a diet
that's predominantly other sharks,
I mean, that's amazing!
[Narrator] This blows a hole
in the long standing theory
that Mossel Bay's white sharks are aerial
hunters who predominantly eat seals.
[barking]
The findings are vital for the long term
survival of these sharks.
Due to heavy fishing,
their reliance on smaller sharks
could come at a deadly cost.
[Enrico] We can't do anything
about the orcas,
but we can do something to protect
the important species
like the smooth-hound shark
as prey for the predator
like the great white shark.
So if you are what you eat,
this is the first evidence
that Mossel Bay White Shark
could really be shark hunters.
Absolutely, without a doubt.
I literally, almost, fell over
when I saw that the results
indicate that huge amount relying
on other sharks and fish.
At a scale I had no idea,
especially from a shark
in an area where there's a seal colony.
We didn't get the kill on camera,
but that was going
to be our cherry on top,
because in, looking for that shot,
we learned a lot more.
[Enrico]
After all the evidence we collected,
the fishermen tales, the BRUVs,
the fin cams, this tissue sampling,
we can definitely say
that out there is a shark eat shark world.
shark-on-shark attacks are on the rise.
[Jake] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[man 1] Look at that shark
trying to eat that shark!
[woman] Oh, there's another one!
Oh, my God!
[Narrator] Now, off South Africa's Western
Cape, a new hotspot may have emerged.
[Lacey] Drone is in the sky.
Shark look likes
it's about 15 meters to your port.
That's four great white sharks
around this boat. This is a shark fest!
[Narrator] A bay where White Sharks
are suspected of hunting other sharks.
We are positive that white sharks
are professional shark hunters.
[Narrator] Can a team
of scientists find hard proof
that these sharks are
turning on their own kind?
Yes! [smooches]
[Enrico] This could hold
very important information.
[Narrator]
As the hunter becomes the hunted,
the very future of South Africa's
white sharks is at stake.
[theme music plays]
Mossel Bay, South Africa.
Home to the legendary White Shark.
The largest predatory fish on earth,
they can grow to over 18 feet.
-Scientists Dr. Enrico Gennari
-Slow speed, yeah?
-[Narrator] and Lacey Williams
-[Lacey] Right, coming down to you.
[Narrator] have been studying South
Africa's white sharks for over a decade.
[Enrico] At any one time,
we believe there are
between 40 and 60 Great White Sharks
here in Mossel Bay, patrolling.
[Narrator] In the last ten years,
white shark numbers have dropped
across South Africa.
Now, Mossel Bay is one of the last places
you can still see them up close.
And what draws them here is food.
[Narrator] For years, it was thought
that what brings the white sharks
to Mossel Bay
is this 650 foot long rock.
[seals barking]
[Enrico] All the big bulls are standing
with their pointy nose up.
[Narrator] It's home
to over 4000 cape fur seals.
Ambush hunters,
white sharks like to surprise their prey.
Hanging in the deep waters
around the island,
their grey backs blend
into the background,
making them difficult to spot from above.
Seals, silhouetted at the surface,
stand out in stark contrast.
[tense music]
They hit at speeds of 20 miles per hour.
These aerial assaults have
made the white sharks
of Mossel Bay famous across the world.
But all is not as it seems.
[Lacey] We thought that it was the seals
that brought the sharks here to Mossel
Bay, but the math doesn't quite add up.
[Narrator] Adult white sharks need to eat
the equivalent of one seal
every three days.
That would amount to 1500 seal kills
every season in Mossel Bay.
[growling]
But only 150 end up as shark food.
So what else is going on?
We think that there's something
far more interesting
and exciting going on beneath the surface.
Are those sharks
focusing their diet on the seals,
or are they eating something else?
[Narrator] To find out, Lacey
looks for clues from the air.
[Lacey] In the right conditions,
when the sun is low in the sky,
and there isn't glare
on the surface of the water,
we can use drones to see what's
going on beneath the surface.
[Narrator] Recently,
in nearby Plettenberg Bay,
Lacey recorded an unexpected glimpse
of what the white sharks are up against.
[Lacey] Seals are pretty tricky to hunt,
they're not as easy as you think.
They're agile.
They've got claws on their flippers.
They've got a bite akin to a dog.
So they can be dangerous.
[Narrator] Her rare
footage shows seals mob,
and then chase off
a nine-foot white shark.
It's the first time a research team
have recorded
seals fighting back in this way.
If Mossel Bay's white sharks are facing
a similar challenge, what are they eating?
[Lacey] Our hunch is that
they actually might be spending
more time hunting other sharks than seals.
[Narrator] Captured on camera, reports
of shark on shark attacks are on the rise.
[man] Jake, get over here, hurry up.
[Jake] Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Can't believe he got sharked!
[Narrator]
New camera tech makes it possible
[Jake] Sharks getting sharked.
[Narrator]
for amateurs across the world
[Jake] Having a tough day, this guy.
[Narrator] to record
these rarely seen predation events.
[man 2] Yeah, another shark.
[man 1] Oh, look at that shark
trying to eat that shark!
[woman] Oh, my God! What the
[screams]
-[man 1] Did you get that on video?
-[man 2] Oh, my God! Oh!
[woman] Oh, there's another one!
Oh my God!
[Narrator] Have Mossel Bay's white sharks
also developed a taste for their own?
High above the bay,
the team set up a research base,
where they'll analyze their data to look
for proof of shark on shark attacks.
This is seal island, and you can see
this is a hotspot for the White Sharks.
Especially in winter,
where the young of the seals
venture for the first time
into the ocean.
[Narrator] Over the last ten years,
Enrico has tagged
more than 30 white sharks
with tiny acoustic transmitters.
Every time one passes
within half a mile of a listening station.
It records the date and
time of each individual.
It reveals a seasonal pattern
to their behavior
that could provide a starting point
for the investigation.
It's fascinating
to see all of those shark tracks
so densely concentrated
around one hot spot.
[Enrico] They're really focused.
They're there for a reason,
and it is to hunt seals.
[Narrator] In winter, the young seals
leave the island for the first time.
Without any knowledge or experience
of how to avoid predators.
Many fall victim
to the waiting white sharks.
But in summer, everything changes.
The seals are breeding, and therefore,
not entering as much of the water.
And therefore, the white sharks
shift their attention
to those three reefs
here, here, and here.
And those reefs are just outside
the main three river mouths.
[Narrator] With no seals
around these river mouths,
what's attracting the white sharks?
[Lacey] It's really fascinating
to see them go from one area
in the bay to spread out to three
different areas throughout the bay.
[Narrator] Shallow estuaries
are often nursery grounds
for young sharks and places where
smaller coastal sharks hunt.
This looks like it could be our first big
clue, at these river mouths. Right?
And that is exactly
where our stakeout should begin.
[Lacey] I agree.
[Narrator] But before their
stakeout can even start,
news comes in that could close down
Enrico and Lacey's investigation.
240 miles from Mossel Bay, there are
sightings of another deadly predator.
Orca!
At over 22 feet,
they dwarf most white sharks.
Armed with three inch long teeth,
these highly intelligent mammals
hunt in packs.
They're one of the only predators
that are a threat to white sharks.
In the last eight years,
orca have been responsible
for a spate of gruesome attacks
on South Africa's large sharks.
[blowing]
I'm really worried
because white sharks already face
a lot of different threats caused by us.
[Narrator] For Enrico and Lacey,
the pressure is on.
If the orca arrive in the Bay,
the sharks will flee.
[whale calls]
[dramatic music]
[Narrator] In Mossel Bay,
the clock is ticking.
With orca sighted down the coast,
the stake out begins.
Shark scientist Lacey Williams takes up
position next to the Kleinbrak River.
Out on the water, Enrico Gennari
preps camera traps
to find out what the white sharks
eat when seal is off the menu.
We call it a BRUV,
a baited remote underwater video camera.
And it's our eyes under the water
without us disturbing the animals.
The bait attracts all the preys
that are in this area.
Okay.
Bye, bye.
Justin, let's go to the next spot please.
[Narrator] Enrico deploys
BRUVs at the three river mouths
identified as white shark hotspots.
[Enrico] By dropping all these
BRUVs on those river mouths,
we really hope to see and
understand what makes them
so important for Great White Sharks.
Lacey, the BRUV is deployed.
[Narrator] With the BRUVs recording,
the team turn their
attention to the white sharks.
Their plan, to attach a camera
that will record their every move.
[Lacey] How's it, Enrico?
Drone is in the sky,
and it looks like you've got one
about 80 meters to your port
slowly heading your way.
[Narrator] With eyes in the sky,
Lacey guides Enrico
to another white shark hotspot,
just off the Greatbrak River.
[Lacey] I think the shark
is swimming over the reef,
so it also looks
like it's in a good spot.
[Enrico over radio]
Sounds perfect, thank you.
This little baby is something
I'm really proud of.
It's something I designed, it's a fin cam.
It's a camera that is positioned and
attached to the dorsal fin of the shark
to give us a perfect POV of the shark.
Hopefully for the first time ever,
we might be able to see
a great white eating another shark,
something that has never been seen before.
Sharks look like it's about 15 meters
to your port, slowly heading your way.
[Enrico] There's a shark.
[Narrator] Now it's up to Enrico to entice
a shark to within striking range.
[Enrico] Right there! It's about
two meters, look how beautiful it is!
[Narrator] Coaxing a white
shark into a trap is not easy.
It's a camera shy shark.
It's a different one.
[Narrator] But as sharks
start to surround the boat
[Enrico] The third one, four!
[Narrator] Enrico's chances increase.
That's four great white sharks
around this boat. This is a shark fest!
[Enrico] Argh!
Yes! Yes! Come on!
Well done. Well done.
Yes!
Go, baby, go, show us some secrets!
Yes, wow.
[Narrator] Back at base,
the footage has been retrieved
from the baited camera traps.
Joining Lacey to review it,
is research leader Dr. Neil Hammerschlag.
-[Lacey] How's it Neil? Welcome!
-Hey, Lace.
[Narrator] An international shark
specialist, he's flown in from Florida
-Let's start scrubbing the footage.
-[Narrator] to work on the data analysis.
[Lacey] That'd be neat.
[Narrator]
The video reveals the river mouth,
a summer white shark hotspot,
teems with life.
[Neil] Look at this. Okay.
We have a pajama catshark
at the bait of this BRUV, okay?
-Okay?
-So cute.
Swimming around doing its thing.
Okay. Now, wait for it.
[Lacey] Ah!
[Neil] Wow. White shark comes in, okay?
Takes a bite at the BRUV,
catshark immediately freezes, okay.
[Narrator] Neil and Lacey spot their first
clue. The catshark appears to play dead.
[Neil] And what's like super cool is,
it's not even breathing.
It's holding its breath.
And by doing that, it's not
pumping water over its gills,
which would otherwise be generating
a weak electrical field
that the great white could pick up.
[Narrator] It's an indication
of what might be going on
between the bay's white sharks
and their smaller relatives.
That's crazy cool.
And that's a clear prey response
to the presence of a predator.
[Neil] I've never seen footage
of this kind ever before.
And it's really a breakthrough
point for our study.
When you actually look
at the behavior of the sharks
that we're seeing on the videos,
they act like they're scared
of white sharks.
And you know what runs from white sharks?
White shark food.
[Narrator]
The next day brings alarming news.
[Lacey] Definitely orcas.
Oh, there might be one further out.
There might be one further out that way.
[Narrator] With her phone, Lacey spots
orca at the southern edge of Mossel Bay.
[Lacey] Nope, nope, there's more.
There's more.
[Narrator] It's a potential
disaster for the investigation.
If the orca hit the bay,
the whites sharks will vanish,
or worse, be attacked.
[Enrico] Time is running out
to get all this data, all this footage,
and we really need to obtain
the last pieces of this puzzle
that we're trying to solve.
[Narrator] With no time to lose, Enrico
sets out early to hunt for the fincam.
Okay, not too far.
It's right here.
[Narrator] It's been over 12 hours
since it was attached
to the back of one
of the Bay's White Sharks.
Right there,
but keep it short at the anchor!
[Narrator] Luckily, they've had a lead.
The shark has been spotted in the bay.
Now, we have
the shark only 20 meters away.
[banging]
Loud noises usually scare animals away,
but with sharks,
they are very inquisitive,
and they come and investigate what it is.
Come on, come, come, come.
[Narrator] The fincam should
have automatically released,
but the mechanism failed.
Enrico will need to remove it
from this nine foot predator himself.
It's coming right here,
come on, come on, come on.
[banging]
It's all or nothing.
Come on, baby. Come on, baby.
-[Narrator] After 20 minutes
-[Enrico] Shark here!
[Narrator] it's close enough for Enrico
to attempt the rescue operation.
[Enrico] Missed it!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
[smooches]
[Narrator] Enrico is finally
reunited with the camera.
And its priceless footage.
This is one of those moments
that you remember forever.
[groans]
It's like the Oscar, would you say.
I want to thank my momma,
my wife, my daughter.
This could be a small step for humankind,
but a giant breach
for the Great White Shark.
I can't wait now to go back
and download it.
Hey, it says "If you find it,
you get a reward." Can I get a reward?
[laughs]
[Narrator] Back on shore, the team review
the hard won fincam footage.
Will it prove the white sharks
are hunting their own kind?
Oh, Enrico, check this out!
It looks like our white shark
is swimming really close to the seabed.
It could be anywhere in the water column,
and it's swimming along the sea floor.
That's wild.
[Narrator] It's exactly where the small,
in-shore sharks might be found.
It's definitely between reefs and sand
and really circling in that area.
[Lacey] Oh, that's interesting.
The way it's moving back and forth,
it kinda looks like
it's searching for something.
And remember,
they don't do things by chance.
If it's there, spending a lot of time
there at the bottom, there is a reason.
[Narrator]
Although the camera was a success,
it did not capture footage of an attack.
[barking]
It's now the peak of the summer breeding
season on Seal Island.
There are fewer young seals
in the water to prey on,
so the white sharks must
find something else to eat.
Over the past 6 weeks,
the team have recorded
over 60 hours of BRUV footage
at the three river mouths.
[Lacey] Oh!
That looks like a smooth hound!
[Enrico] It's definitely
a smooth hound shark.
Really, this shows us
all the small shark species
that are there,
potential quick snack for a white shark.
I mean they're all bite sized.
That's for sure.
[Enrico] And all these again, smooth
hounds coming back in, photo bombing.
-Oh, and there's a little PJ!
-[Enrico laughs]
[Enrico] Those reefs close to the river
mouth are packed with smaller sharks.
I think we're starting
to see a pattern here.
[Enrico] Definitely.
[Narrator] By far the most common shark
showing up is the smooth hound.
Growing to almost six feet,
they are bottom dwellers
that feed on prey like crab and squid.
[Lacey]
Our evidence is starting to mount up.
The fin camera and tracking data
shows that our great whites
are hanging out in areas just outside
river mouths in Mossel Bay.
Our BRUV data is showing
that these same areas
are teeming with life,
including smaller shark species
and our smooth hound sharks.
So when we couple all this data together,
this suggests that our smooth
hounds and our Great Whites
are somehow associated with each other.
[Narrator] Have the team discovered
what the white sharks feed on
at the river mouths?
If it is smooth-hounds, it's a concern.
They're being heavily
fished all along this coast.
[Lacey] This is really
important for us to determine,
because the smooth-hound
is an endangered species,
and it is highly targeted
by commercial fishing.
[Narrator]
With the Orca threat still present,
to protect the white sharks
from these fishing pressures,
the team must identify their prey.
To do so, Enrico turns to someone
from Mossel Bay's bloody past.
-Hey, Brian!
-Hello, Enrico, nice to see you!
[Narrator] Brian McFarlane is a shark
fisherman turned conservationist.
[Brian] When people used to
catch the great whites,
this coast was the place to catch them.
[Narrator]
Like many others in the '70s and '80s,
he hunted great white sharks for sport.
[Brian] There are people
in the world that want
to prove their macho-ness and catch
the biggest, most fearsome animal
in the sea, and that being the great
white, so that was the incentive.
I must emphasize I'm not proud
of what I'm telling you,
but If I go back 40 years,
when I went out to catch a shark,
I would see 20, to 30, to 40
great whites a day
even before we put bait in the water,
you wouldn't believe it.
They were always there.
But, the big but,
when the Jaws movie came out,
that was the turning point,
everyone hated
or wanted to kill a great white,
and I unfortunately was one of them.
You brought it back, hundreds of people
would come onto the jetty,
you would hang this shark up,
and you'd be a hero,
big photographs, and things like that.
[Narrator] Today, white shark
fishing is outlawed,
but the population never recovered.
[Brian] When I think
about all these poor sharks
that I killed, I really, really,
really have terrible regrets.
We didn't think
of the future of these animals.
[Narrator] But Brian's knowledge can
now help this vulnerable species.
So in order to attract and catch
a white shark, how did you used to do it?
[Brian] We cut open the stomachs,
they were full of smaller sharks,
different species,
rays, and smaller sharks.
There was virtually
no seals in their stomach.
And that's when we realized that the great
white's primary food is a smaller shark.
They were the best bait.
If you had to choose one species of shark
to catch a white shark, what would it be?
[Brian] There's not even
a question that the smooth-hound shark
was the Great White's favorite food.
[Narrator] With a solid lead
Enrico turns his attention
to the smooth-hound
sharks and some new tech.
[Enrico] Now, it's time to
really step things up.
We are positive.
We can prove that white sharks
are professional shark hunters.
[Narrator] Working with
research assistant, Sophu Qoma,
the team plan to fit 20 smooth-hounds
with a special predator tag.
[Enrico] So far we have been following
the predator, the Great White Sharks,
but if we really want
to crack the mystery,
we need to better understand its prey.
-Give me the tag number
-Tag number is 6207.
[Narrator]
The tags will track the smooth-hounds.
-6207, so we just need a shark now!
-[Sophu] Awesome!
[Narrator] But they have
another exceptional function.
If a smooth-hound gets eaten,
the predator's stomach acids
will trigger the tag to emit a new signal,
alerting Enrico to the kill.
[Enrico] Then by looking
at the data afterwards,
we can also look at
who could have eaten that shark.
This little tag could be
instrumental to tell us
if and when the great white shark
launch their cannibal attacks.
Everyone in position? Sophu?
[Narrator] At this time of year,
the smooth-hounds come together at
the river mouths in large numbers to mate.
An easy target for predators,
like the bay's white sharks.
The size of the smooth-hound
that we're trying to catch
is between 1 meter and 1.5 meter.
This is the perfect fast
food for a Great White Shark.
Okay. Shark is on!
It's fighting, Justin.
Smooth hound! Woo-hoo!
Okay, put the tag in the solution.
Can you pass?
[Narrator] The first shark they've caught
is a five foot smooth-hound.
Okay. Okay. I'm holding it.
Hoo!
[Narrator] Placed upside down,
the shark enters a trance-like state
known as tonic immobility.
[Enrico] Okay. Scalpel, please.
Little incision on the abdominal cavity.
[Narrator] The team works fast to place
the tag into the shark's body cavity.
[Enrico] Okay. The suture allows us
to keep the tag in,
but most importantly, to get
the shark wound healed,
and the shark will be free to become
a researcher in action.
End of surgery. Thank you.
Now, it's just time to release it,
let it do its sharky stuff,
and hopefully be eaten
by a great white shark.
Okay. Go.
Okay. Ready?
You got it. Yeah. [laughs]
She wanted to go!
Woo-hoo!
[Narrator] Over the next two weeks,
Enrico and his team
tag more of the bay's smooth-hound sharks.
[Enrico] Shark on!
[Narrator] Each one increases
their chances of recording evidence
[Enrico] 6211.
[Narrator] of a shark on shark predation.
[Enrico] Okay. Definitely good.
[laughs] Next one.
So that's 20.
Okay. Good. Bye-bye.
Nice. There she is.
Yes, nice!
That is for a monster
great white shark dinner!
[Narrator] But then their
worst fears are realized.
The orca arrive in Mossel Bay,
and the great white killings begin.
[blowing]
[ocean waves]
[Narrator] The last thing Lacey
and Enrico's investigation needs
is a pod of five orca,
for the first time in South Africa,
the detail of their highly coordinated
attack is captured on camera.
First, the pod singles out a white shark
and chases it for more than an hour,
then one orca delivers a fatal bite.
[blowing]
[ambient music]
So yesterday we saw,
or we found a white shark carcass
that had washed up just right here
on this section of the beach.
[Narrator] The ten-foot teenager is one
of two sharks thought to have been killed.
When orcas hunt white shark,
they can grab them
by the pectoral fins
and actually rip them apart.
[Narrator] With surgical precision,
they target the shark's fat, rich liver,
ripping it clean out.
[Lacey] It leaves this gaping cavity.
[Narrator] It's the first recorded death
of a white shark by an orca in Mossel Bay.
[Lacey] It's a day that will
live with me for the rest of my life,
to see a beautiful animal torn apart in,
in a way that only nature can do,
kind of renders you speechless.
Obviously, in my mind,
there was that dark feeling
that a white shark was killed by an orca.
I still remember the goosebumps,
the knowing that something even worse
was going to follow, the disappearance
of all the other white sharks,
and that happened in the last week,
we haven't seen
any white sharks here in Mossel Bay.
[Narrator] With less than
1,000 white sharks remaining,
every individual is precious.
The death of two takes South Africa's
population one step closer to collapse.
[ambient music]
Seven weeks after the deadly orca attack
-[Lacey] Woooo!
-[Narrator] some good news.
[Lacey] Enrico, we've got two sharks!
We got two sharks!
-Yes! There's a white shark right there.
-[Lacey] Wooo, beautiful shark.
[Narrator] White sharks
are spotted in the bay.
[Lacey] We've got two
beautiful sharks around us.
[Enrico] This is the
second great white shark
we've just had in about ten minutes.
[Narrator] And with the orca gone,
they're back in abundance.
[Enrico] Shark, after shark, after shark.
[Narrator] With a window of opportunity,
the team prepares to gather
one final piece of evidence,
tissue samples
from the bay's white sharks.
Now is definitely game on.
We need to figure out
what these sharks are really eating.
[Narrator] When sharks eat,
the fatty acids in their food
leave a unique chemical signature
on their muscle tissue.
With careful analysis,
it can be read like a food diary.
We are what we eat, and the tissue samples
provide us with a map.
It's like looking back at what that shark
has been eating for the last 6 months.
[Narrator] To get consistency.
[Lacey] All right, it's coming
towards you, Enrico!
You're getting within five meters,
you see it? Coming from your right?
[Narrator] The sample must be taken from
muscle tissue just behind the dorsal fin.
Yeah, but it's moving away again.
Come back.
[Lacey] Nicely done.
Let's get some tissue out here.
I'm really looking forward to see
what story this sample can tell us.
[Narrator] The samples will be
sent to Neil's lab for analysis.
[Enrico] But I need to put it
in the freezer quickly. Here we go.
Cool!
Let's get another one!
-[Lacey] You got eyes?
-[Enrico] Yes! I see it.
Yeah! Got it!
[Narrator] It's been six months
since shark scientists
Enrico Gennari and Lacey Williams
started gathered evidence
in a bid to discover
whether Mossel Bay's white sharks
are killing their own kind.
It's now time for Enrico
to collect the predator tag data.
Once uploaded,
it will reveal if any of the bay's
smooth hounds have been eaten.
Being able to prove with our data
that smooth-hounds sharks are eaten
by great white sharks
is a key piece of evidence
in our investigation.
[Narrator] Receivers dotted across the bay
track the smooth-hounds movements.
[Enrico] And we see they
stayed within in the bay.
But watch now, one by one.
Their color is changing.
That means they have been eaten,
their signal is changing,
they are in the stomach of
something much bigger.
70% of our tagged sharks have been eaten
close to the river mouth.
Unbelievable.
[Narrator] And there's one prime suspect.
[Enrico] To prey on a 4.5 foot
shark, you need to be quite big,
and this is white shark country,
so white sharks are the main culprit here.
[Narrator] Enrico's hunch
is still to be confirmed.
But the data takes them
a step closer to proving
that Mossel Bay's white sharks
hunt their own kind.
[Enrico] This is very important
information, but at the same time,
it's also so concerning,
because those small sharks
are so heavily overfished
and therefore not managing
these small sharks means
we're not managing the great white sharks.
Okay. Let's anchor up.
[Narrator] The team had set out
to prove that instead of seals,
Mossel Bay's white sharks
hunt and kill smaller sharks.
Now, research leader
Neil Hammerschlag is back,
with what they hope
is the decisive evidence,
the results of the white
shark tissue samples.
-[Neil] Lacey, Enrico!
-How's it Neil?
-[Neil] Good to see you.
-Likewise. Welcome, welcome.
-[Enrico] Welcome!
-[Neil] Buddy. All right, cool.
I've got hopefully
some good news to show you.
-All right.
-[Enrico] Show me what you got.
[Narrator] When sharks eat,
fatty acid markers in their food
leave a unique chemical imprint
on their muscle tissue.
By analyzing the relative levels of each
marker, a meaningful pattern emerges.
[Neil] These are the results
from the first samples
of muscle tissue analysis
from any Mossel Bay sharks.
And what we're seeing is
their muscle is dominated by fatty acids,
which you would find
associated with other sharks.
-This is great.
-Yeah, this is crazy.
What you're looking at here
is the first evidence
that the sharks in Mossel Bay are-- the
majority of their diet is other sharks.
[Narrator]
But that's not all the data reveals.
Two markers associated
with bottom dwelling,
and estuarine prey are showing
up exactly as you'd expect
if the white sharks were feeding on sharks
from Mossel Bay's river mouths.
-[Enrico] This is proof.
-[Neil] Yeah, absolutely.
Now, if you take this one step
further and compare
what we found here with other locations.
[Narrator] When compared to
other white shark hotspots
like Australia, it reveals that
Mossel Bay's white sharks
have less than half the level
of fatty acid markers
associated with seals.
[Neil] What I really didn't have an idea
of, is what it would show is just
the magnitude, that in fact the sharks
whole chemical composition
of their actual tissue suggests
that what they're actually integrating
in the tissues is based on a diet
that's predominantly other sharks,
I mean, that's amazing!
[Narrator] This blows a hole
in the long standing theory
that Mossel Bay's white sharks are aerial
hunters who predominantly eat seals.
[barking]
The findings are vital for the long term
survival of these sharks.
Due to heavy fishing,
their reliance on smaller sharks
could come at a deadly cost.
[Enrico] We can't do anything
about the orcas,
but we can do something to protect
the important species
like the smooth-hound shark
as prey for the predator
like the great white shark.
So if you are what you eat,
this is the first evidence
that Mossel Bay White Shark
could really be shark hunters.
Absolutely, without a doubt.
I literally, almost, fell over
when I saw that the results
indicate that huge amount relying
on other sharks and fish.
At a scale I had no idea,
especially from a shark
in an area where there's a seal colony.
We didn't get the kill on camera,
but that was going
to be our cherry on top,
because in, looking for that shot,
we learned a lot more.
[Enrico]
After all the evidence we collected,
the fishermen tales, the BRUVs,
the fin cams, this tissue sampling,
we can definitely say
that out there is a shark eat shark world.