During a cage - diving event tripper off the coast of Australia , a group of tourists spotted some truly strange behavior from a white shark . The creature was find out swim on its back to the amazement of the witnesses , including the captain , who said he has never image such behavior before .
The footage was filmed by Wendy Bower - Leech on a sauceboat belong to the Calypso Star Charters . According to a voice for the company , the shark was a female approximately 3.5 meters ( about 12 feet ) in length . It was not tagged .
" It swam on its back for several second gear as depicted in the video but the shark was in the vicinity of our dive cage for a couple of hours much to the joy of our guests , " the spokesperson toldFox Newsover Facebook .
It is unclear why the shark was swimming in such a queer direction , but there are some possibilities .
" My hypothesis is it was mouth the boat to check it out and terminate up unintentionally swimming on its back in the process , which can almost paralyze sharks , " say Molly Zaleski , a marine scientist based in Alaska , to IFLScience . " Sharks ( and some other brute ) have this reaction to being upside down called ' tonic immobility ' that ' causes a temporary province of inertia . ' "
During such a country , the animal ’s muscles slacken and its breathing becomes deeper and more rhythmic , according toShark Trust .
It is not clean-cut what the function of this paralysis State Department is , if there is one . Some advise the hypnosis - corresponding res publica is advantageous during mating . Others say it could be a care response that leads them into a catatonic DoS . In certain animals , such a state comes in handy when dealing with predators ( ie . , play dead ) .
Apex vulture like white shark do n’t seem to expect such a defence mechanics . Still , it might be a vestigial behavior , leftover from when it was needed in ancient times . Nowadays , it might in reality be used against them . SharkTrust report that orcas have been spotted on a span of occasion taking advantage ( intentionally or accidentally ) of restorative immobilityto gag whitened sharks , which need to move continuously to breathe .
[ H / T : Fox News ]
