A shark locates its prey first before hunting. They have developed the sense to detect even the most minuscule hints of their prey's location. Sharks are one of the most feared predators worldwide, which hunts for seals and small fishes.
Now, video footage using a drone has captured an astonishing event of a shark chasing a school of bunker fish off the coast of Queens, New York.
The hunt between predator and prey has created a kaleidoscope of changing patterns that is one to admire but at the expense of the prey, according to the Miami Herald.
The video footage was posted on Twitter with a caption: SHARKS! chasing bunker fish. #Rockaway As Robbie Ostrander, our fave photog says, "This is some National Geographic s--t." Scary and beautiful.
Shark Hunts the School of Bunker Fish
John Waldman, a biology professor at Queens College, told the New York Post that the bunker fish are heading south at this time of the year to migrate to warmer waters, hence their noticeable presence along the beaches these days.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, bunker fish, also known as menhaden, play an important role in the marine ecosystem. They are used as baits for blue crab and lobster and are harvested for fertilizers and animal feed. Menhaden are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that is why they are used to develop supplements for humans and animals.
In recent years, spotting marine life has become common off the shores of New York. Experts said that it is because the waters surrounding the Big Apple has gotten cleaner over the previous years. In 2019 alone around 260 Atlantic and Hump whales were seen swimming off the shores of New York.
Read Also: Female Anglerfish Absorbs Males During Mating
School of Fish: Defense Mechanism
In the video, it shows that the shark is chasing after a school of bunker fish. Being around other fish helps them individually in escaping their predators, such as the shark.
According to Dive Training Magazine, about 80% of all species school when they are young while 20% school as adults. Experts suggest that schooling operates under the concept of "safety in numbers" to overcome the problem of being hunter by bigger fish species. In that way, schools would look like a large creature that can scare off other animals.
Moreover, the "safety in numbers" concept also operates in the premise that even though large animals do attack, the odds are low for any one of them being captured by the predator. For every member of the school of fish, they think that hiding in large numbers is safer than if they were to roam the waters alone.
There is no specific number of fishes that make up a school. But in the wild, there are approximately hundreds or thousands of them in a group, with the minimum number of a school of fish being four.
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