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Great white cold tolerance.

Posted: January 1st, 2014, 4:30 pm
by pete
Image posted on Flickr by Peter trull of a freshly bitten grey seal on December 22. The water temp off the outer beach is a balmy 39 degrees. Very interesting that sharks (at least one)are still actively feeding up here. Wish I knew how to post a link,but it is easy to find. I'm tech impaired at times. Evidently still am :lol: :lol: maybe now?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26676688@N03/

Re: Great white cold tolerance.

Posted: January 3rd, 2014, 12:59 pm
by VICtort
Peter, that gristly photo is one of many fine ones on your site. Some very fine bird photos, jaeger, harlequin, and peregrine etc.

Is that seal alive in photo? I have seen similar with elephant seals on Ca. coast, and equally gristly, with gulls pecking at the wound.

Some variables to consider, white shark seems likely but maybe shark and seal were in warmer current? Is it possible a Greenland shark which frequents cold water rather than white was the biter? It will be interesting to see if that seal recovers from the horrific wound, seems unlikely but amazing recoveries do occur. Interesting observation, would you care to share general location? Your photos suggest some traveling with your camera. Vic

Re: Great white cold tolerance.

Posted: January 3rd, 2014, 5:35 pm
by pete
Hola Vic,
The photos are not mine, just happen to have the same first name. I really thought the bite shot was intriguing .
From the amount of bird footprints,I'd say the seal is dead,the closest warmer currents would be about 45 miles to the southeast. Too far to swim with such an injury and heading in the wrong direction for drifting to nauset beach. The locale is the outer beach on cape cod. I think Greenland sharks lack the dentition for a bite like that, porbeagles are present offshore but are hardcore fish eaters. During the summer we now have a healthy number of great whites that are homing in on the grey seal population. In 2011 a 18' great white was tangled in a gillnet off Chatham in November . The water temp was in the low 40s. I find it to be incredible how adaptable they are.
These sharks are relative newcomers here, and I hope to see one one day!