A sea otter has been immortalized interacting with a small shark. An extremely rare case documented for the first time in November, according to specialists. No one knows if this was a hunt or some other type of interaction.
A imperceptible moment was filmed last week by two Americans in Morro Bay, California. This is the first documentation of a sea otter capturing a buffalo shark, reports USA Today, citing an official with the California Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
The photos were posted on social media on November 14 by an organization in charge of protecting sea otters.
“While these fish are not unusual prey for sea otters living further north (in Alaska and Russia), they are quite rare in California”, comments the NGO, which specifies that the shark was not devoured.
No one knows if the otter was attacking the shark to eat it, since both animals were only visible for a short time.
The sea otter living in the south, off central California, feeds primarily on invertebrates, such as sea urchins, crabs, abalones, and clams. The North Sea otter, in the area stretching from Washington to Alaska, feeds more often on fish, which could include sharks, USA Today said. Buffalo sharks are solitary predators that hunt shellfish at night. I guess the scientists were left in otter disbelief.
Sea otter plans vs. 2020: clam foraging. #2020belike
— Be Sea Otter Savvy (@SeaOtterSavvy) November 14, 2020
If you watch sea otters long enough you will see a range of sealife brought to the surface. These “jaw-dropping” images are the first record of an interaction between a sea otter and a horn shark! Photos by Don Henderson. 👇🏻🧵 pic.twitter.com/NnKgGM7S5Z
While fish are not unusual prey for more northern sea otters (Alaska & Russia), they are quite uncommon in California.
Field notes: not surprisingly, while some nibbling may have occurred, the prey was not consumed. Photo by Alice Cahill #seaottersavvy pic.twitter.com/xYlls8X0v6— Be Sea Otter Savvy (@SeaOtterSavvy) November 14, 2020
