Two great white sharks eat a humpback whale at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, August 18, 2021. Captain John Boats via Facebook
Two great white sharks are seen chomping at a humpback whale off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
One of the giant predators measured more than 17 feet in length.
Researchers say that great white sharks can eat dead whales as a source of protein.
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Two great white sharks feasted on a dead whale off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, last week.
The footage was shared by Captain John Boats on his Facebook page. He is a tour operator in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
The sightings of the hungry sharks left tourists stunned. According to the Facebook post, one was more than 17 feet in length.
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According to The Boston Herald, John Goggin of Captain John Boats stated that "it was the first time" he had ever witnessed such an event. "People aboard were very excited. The crew was very excited and yelled a lot. Wow!
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Researchers were also able to tag some sharks to aid in their tracking. Over a period of two days, eight sharks were observed eating the dead whale.
"While it is difficult to hear about the passing of a loved one, documentation is vital for long-term population studies," wrote The Center for Coastal Studies on Facebook.
Researchers knew about the whale, but it was not clear how it died. According to Live Science, it was a one year old calf.
According to the Herald, Peter Corkeron of the New England Aquarium's whale research team said that a dead whale provides great food for great white sharks. "A dead whale can be like the greatest smorgasbord that a shark could ever imagine."
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