Great white shark chokes to death on sea turtle
Smaller animal found locked in predator's jaws
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A fisherman has captured photos of the gruesome demise of a great white shark that choked to death on a sea turtle in Japan.
The images show the bloodied shark hauled onto land with the sea turtle still protruding from its mouth.
Greg Vella shared the images to the fishing group Commercial Salmon, Albacore & Crab Fishers on Facebook, explaining he had been fishing when he heard on the radio that a great white was swimming nearby with a sea turtle in its mouth.
The following day the corpse of the shark, which weighed 4,500lb, was found tangled in netting, according to the fisherman.
“I was out commercial ‘ken ken’ style fishing for tuna (Japan, Pacific Ocean side) when I heard chatter on the radio that there was a white shark swimming around with a big sea turtle in its mouth,” Mr Vella wrote. “People started to joke about it, so I did not pay it any more attention.
“Then next day, it was found dead, near the bait receivers, tangled in some netting.”
According to Mr Vella, captains he’d asked about the shark said it had looked “close to death” the day before it died, as the creature had been unable to “dislodge the giant turtle”.
“The commercial guys were bummed, as white sharks do not bother their commercial fishing, and most certainly do bother the things that eat our catch,” he added.
The photos of the giant shark have since been shared more than 9,000 times.
Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish on Earth, according to National Geographic.
Their diet typically consists of sea lions, seals, and small-toothed whales.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments