Shark Chokes on Sea Lion, Thrashes on Beach Before Dying (VIDEO)
A shark choked on a sea lion off the coast of Coronation Beach close to Geraldton, Western Australia, according to reports. The 13-foot great white shark was seen thrashing about in the shallow waters while beachgoers watched and filmed the incident, but they didn't realize it was fighting for its life and it eventually died.
The shark that choked on a sea lion had been tagged by researchers in southern Australia in January of this year, but swam almost right onto the sand last week. Australia's Department of Fisheries determined that the predator had literally bitten off more than it could chew and gotten some of its prey stuck in its throat.
"This could explain why the shark was exhibiting such unusual behaviour in shallow waters off Coronation Beach. It is possible that the shark was trying to dislodge the blockage," Dr. Rory McAuley, the Principal Research Scientist for the agency, said in a press release.
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Some beachgoers watched as large the great white tossed and turned on the beach and attempted to take pictures. One even took a vertical video, but none of them realized the trouble that the shark was in.
"Such a large object may have damaged the shark's internal organs or impeded water flow into his gills, contributing to his death. Alternatively, the shark may have accidentally become stranded in his attempts to get rid of the obstruction," McAuley explained.
However, since sharks don't usually choke the way normal humans do, another researcher believes that the latter option is more likely. Even though sea lions can grow up to eight feet and weigh 660 pounds, shark expert Chris Lowe thinks the animal was beached and couldn't get back to the deep ocean.
"An esophageal block doesn't restrict breathing in a shark," Lowe, who works at the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, told The Los Angeles Times. "It's most likely that the shark was rubbing along the seafloor to dislodge the food and the animal just stranded and couldn't get back to deeper water."
The video of the dying great white predator has gone viral since its posting Saturday, getting over 1 million hits in less than a week.
