(CMR) A magnificent female tiger shark was spotted in the deep waters off South Sound on March 2nd – and not at the Sandbar as some reports have suggested, The Department of Environment said.
The Department said the shark was 10 feet in length and was calmly feeding on a sea turtle carcass that was floating on the surface of the water.
Although turtles are among her natural prey, it's unclear if she hunted the turtle herself or was attracted to the smell of the carcass, the Department said.
It explained that “living so close to some of the deepest waters in the world means we have a unique opportunity to observe rare marine animals in the wild.”
“Though a tiger shark visit may sound intimidating, sharks are a sign of a healthy ecosystem! And contrary to popular belief, sharks are not interested in eating humans. Sharks are attracted to certain smells in the water, like the turtle carcass, or oily fish like tuna or fish guts. So if there's anything like that in the water, sharks might pass by looking for free food,” the Department added.
According to nature.org, these large, slow-moving sharks live worldwide in sub-tropical waters. They are omnivores with incredible senses—even detecting electricity—making them avid scavengers.
Females develop embryos internally, hatching and incubating inside the mother before being born live. Females can give birth to up to 80 pups at a time.
However, they have a low reproduction rate, and the population of tiger sharks is near threatened.
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