Newfoundlanders save shark choking on moose

A Greenland shark with a distinctly Canadian appetite chomped more moose than he could swallow this weekend.

Derrick Chaulk in Norris Arm North, Nfld., saw the 2.5-metre long, toothy fish struggling on shore as he passed the local harbour, according to CBC. Being a good marine neighbour, he stopped to help the creature and saw that it was choking on a hunk of furry moose meat about two feet long.

Another man, Jeremy Ball, gripped the piece of meat and heaved until it came loose from the shark's mouth, according to the CBC.

Together they pushed it back into the water using a rope. About 30 minutes later, the animals swam away, according to the story. The men told CBC hunters often throw pieces of moose meat into the water after butchering an animal.

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The Greenland shark typically lives in the North Atlantic waters near Greenland and Iceland, according to Discovery, and CBC reports they are not a common sight off the coast of Newfoundland. This species of shark mostly eats fish, but it won't turn down a chunk of meat when one is available — Discovery lists horses, bears and a reindeer among food Greenland sharks have eaten before.

In 2011, the blog Not Exactly Rocket Science by Ed Yong covered a video showing an animal that's designed to leave sharks choking on their food. When a shark bites a hagfish, the slippery creature oozes buckets of slime that gag the predator and send it swimming away.

This unfortunate moose accomplished that task with no slime required.