A marine biologist has captured video of a rare encounter with a baby gummy shark pup during a dive in Australia's Port Phillip Bay. The diminutive shark was observed swimming just beneath the surface of the water, with sunlight illuminating the scene.
The encounter took place in mid-August and was documented by Sheree Marris, a marine biologist. In the footage, the small shark is seen swimming in front of Marris before she pans the camera to herself and indicates its small size with her fingers. The video also shows Marris swimming alongside the pup.
Marris explained that newborn gummy sharks typically measure between 12 and 14 inches in length. Gummy sharks are native to Australia and can grow to be up to 5 feet long. After hatching, young gummy sharks receive no parental care and are vulnerable to predation by larger shark species. Despite this, the Australian Fisheries Management Authorities consider gummy sharks to be not overfished.
Australia's waters are home to approximately 180 shark species, the majority of which do not pose a threat to humans. According to the Victorian Fisheries Authority, the sharks most frequently implicated in attacks in Australian coastal waters are the great white shark, tiger shark, and bull shark.