Great White Shark Devours Seal Near Nantucket Beach
Video captures a brutal feeding event just offshore, turning a serene beach into a scene of predation.
A great white shark was filmed tearing apart a seal on Sunday near Great Point Beach in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The attack occurred around 10:30 a.m. when witnesses Carrie Drayton and her boyfriend observed a seal fleeing the water, followed shortly by the appearance of shark fins.
Gory video footage documented the shark feeding on the seal at close range to the shore. Drayton described the event as "truly wild," noting how close the shark was to the beach. Another seal was seen attempting to move closer to the ocean as the attack unfolded.
Experts told Boston.com that while the feeding occurred near the coast, the shark's behavior is not unusual. Sharks frequently migrate through Nantucket waters, and seals at Great Point represent a readily available food source for these predators. Fisheries scientist Gregory Skomal indicated that this type of predation is a normal part of the marine ecosystem.