Sharks' noses are sensitive as they use them to detect prey and predators. A scuba diver shared a clip of his close encounter with a shark, and its eyes briefly changed from black to white.
Shark's Eye Turned White After Smelling a Scuba Diver
Dan Senior, a diver known as "Scuba Dan," shared footage of a large shark believed to be a tiger shark on TikTok. In the clip, the shark's eye noticeably turned white as it became aware of Senior's presence. It changed direction and seemingly approached him.
In the caption, Senior noted to watch the shark's eye color as it turned white when it smelled him. He noted that sharks' noses are super sensitive to smells because they are important for survival.
The video received mixed responses from the netizens. Some said it was cool to record the encounter on camera. Others find the video scary.
A few suggested the shark just rolled its eyes. Some other users brought up the speculations that sharks' eyes turn white before an attack.
Another explained that white eyes are for protection and the shark is not in a hunting mood.
So what really happened? Why did the shark's eye turn white?
@scubadan_ Sharks are super-sensitive to smells that are important to their survival Including scents produced by potential predators, prey or a mate So maybe she was trying to flirt! #sharks #sharkbait #tigershark #greatwhiteshark #tigersharks #sharktok #screammovie ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) - howlingindicator
@travelingchels This tiger shark keeps moving her eyes to look at me to see if I’m still holding eye contact. If you look away, they’ll notice… #tigershark #shark #sharks #sharkdiving #bahamas #tigerbeach #tigerbeachbahamas #sharkdives #bigshark ♬ original sound - Chelsea
Did the Shark Roll Its Eyes?
According to Sharks Info, a shark's eye has a cornea, iris, lens, and retina, just like the eyes of vertebrates. They can see in the musky and deep ocean water.
Just like most people, sharks also have eyelids. However, they can't blink as the surrounding water washes up their eyes. The eyelids provide protection from potential damage when they capture their prey or attack their enemies.
Sharks adopt different strategies to protect their eyes from harm during hunting or attacking their prey. Their first technique is to use the nictitating membrane, a transparent but visible layer present under the eyelid to shield their eyeball.
According to Yahoo! News, tiger sharks have that protective layer that goes over their eyes, making their eyes appear white.
However, some sharks, like Great Whites, don't have a nictitating membrane, so they roll their eyes back in their head to protect their eyes. The ocular rotation also turns their eyes white. It means that in the last moments before they attack, they are blind, animal blog AZ Animals.
In the case of the shark in the video, its eyes quickly turned to normal after sensing that there was no need to attack.
One user jokingly commented that the scuba diver was not food but a friend.
According to A-Z animals, there are stories about how the sharks' eyes turn white when they attack. However, contrary to the belief that it's something they do during a frenzied attack by the smell of blood, sharks do it to protect their eyes.
Sharks that live near the surface rely heavily on their eyesight. Some species, like the Ganges river shark, swim along the bottom of the river while scanning the water above for prey. They actively use their eyesight for hunting.
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