Talk grows of mega predator off Australia, but the grim reality may be more sobering
Photos of large sharks chewed like corn on the cob have appeared on social media in recent weeks, prompting rumors a super predator is prowling the waters off eastern Australia.
Theories of a “mega tiger shark” were shared on Facebook by the TV program Fishing Australia, which noted one mako shark was pulled from the ocean with only its head remaining.
“What’s attacking these Aussie Sharks? The Mako Shark head weighed 250 pounds! ... Waiting to hear from (Steven) Spielberg on this one,” the program wrote on Facebook.
The post, which included photos dating back four years, has gotten more than 1,700 reactions and comments as of April 25. Many offered guesses of what attacked the sharks, including an orca, a giant squid or something “prehistoric.”
“A monster to say the least,” Evelyn Hoole wrote.
“Judging by the large wide bite marks, either one of two species could have done that much damage. Realistically, a large tiger shark or a great white,” Will Zambo said.
“Something seriously huge out there,” Jeff Wilkerson posted.
Many of the photos circulated online were taken on expeditions captained by Trapman Australia, also known as Jason Moyce. The oldest among them dates to 2019.
McClatchy News reached out to Trapman Australia for his theory on the culprit — and got both good and bad news.
The good news: It’s unlikely one giant monster shark ate his catches.
The Bad news?
“Probably a few really huge sharks. They do grow as big as a car,” he said.
14-foot hammerhead shark found dead on Alabama beach was hiding bittersweet surprise
Live 6-foot shark washes ashore on Outer Banks beach as visitors watch, video shows
Angler ‘spying’ on sharks with camera notices one staring back off the Australia coast
