Drone Records ‘Holy Grail of Shark Science’ Off US Coast: First Time Great White’s Been Seen Right After Birth

A California duo recently made a discovery they referred to as “the holy grail of shark science.”

Phillip Sternes, a UC Riverside biology doctoral student, and Carlos Gauna, a wildlife filmmaker, captured a newborn great white shark shedding its embryonic layer in July 2023, according to SFGate.

The pair’s findings were published on Jan. 29 in the scientific journal Environmental Biology of Fishes.

This may be the first time that such an event has ever been recorded.

“To capture this moment … it’s the holy grail of shark science,” Sternes told SFGate. “You’re looking for such a specific moment in time and place. To be there in the right place at the right time … you’re talking very slim chances. It’s groundbreaking.”

Trending:

New York Liberals May Be Celebrating Now, But Verdict Against Trump Could Soon Backfire Against the State

Sternes and Gauna observed the baby shark off the coast of Carpinteria, California. The two men were flying a drone over the water when a pale white shark caught their eyes.

They immediately knew they had something special on their hands.

“I just heard him say, ‘Whoa,’” Sternes recalled. “I leaned over and got right behind him, and we saw this white object appear on the screen. I nearly fell out of my seat in excitement.”

At first, they thought they were observing an albino shark, which would have been an extremely rare sighting of its own.

Are you afraid of sharks?

However, Sternes noticed that the shark was rather small, only about 5 feet in length, and had rounded fins, which are characteristic of newborn or embryonic sharks.

The shark’s pale white color appeared to be from a film-like substance that was peeling away from its body. That’s when the duo realized this must be a newborn shark shedding its embryonic layer.

“We were completely blown away,” Sternes said.

Related:

If You See These Strange Pink Eggs at the Waterside, Destroy Them Immediately

Scientists have speculated that the coastline from Santa Barbara to Baja California is a birthing location for great white sharks. However, because the species is elusive not much is known about their reproductive process.

“It’s one of the biggest mysteries we have: Where do they mate? Where do they give birth?” Sternes remarked. “That’s just a dead zone despite the tagging we do.”

This unique and profound discovery shows us how much more there is to learn about God’s creation.

Though humans have held dominion over earth for thousands of years and have explored far and wide, there are still many places that humans have not, or cannot, explore.

Take the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean, Challenger Deep, for example. Only a few humans have ever even traveled to this site, expending considerable time and money to do so. Even so, little is still known about the mysterious abyss. Scientists aren’t even sure how deep Challenger Deep actually goes.

It’s safe to say we still have much to learn about our planet.

“We have better maps of the moon and Mars than we do of our own planet,” remarked Dr. Gene Feldman, an oceanographer emeritus at NASA.

So, although we may never explore every corner of the earth or witness the many fascinating things that occur in the wild on a daily basis, we can still be thankful to God for all the beautiful things we can observe.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

 

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

 

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

 

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal



Source link