A fisherman off the coast of Florida recorded a goliath grouper swallowing a 4-foot shark in a single bite in a video that has now gone viral.
The fisherman in the video had just caught a four-foot black tip shark in Bonita Springs, FL, when the goliath grouper made itself known. Just as the shark was approaching the side of the boat, the giant fish emerged from the water, opening its jaws, and disappeared just as quickly, leaving nothing in its wake.
Goliath groupers populate the Florida coastal waters, though they are far from common. Known as predators, goliath groupers can grow up to 800 pounds, measuring over 8 feet in length. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, goliath groupers typically eat lobsters, shrimps, octopus and other fishes, and prefer to consume their food in one bite.
“Prey is ambushed, caught with a quick rush and snap of the jaws. The sharp teeth are adapted for seizing prey and preventing escape although most prey is simply engulfed and swallowed whole,” states the Florida Museum of Natural History.
It’s not uncommon for goliath groupers to take their food from a fisherman’s reel. Once close to endangered, it is illegal for fisherman to catch and kill goliath groupers, but goliath groupers have been increasing in number, and stealing more potential catches from fishermen.
“We have goliaths taking legal grouper and snapper right off our lines, over and over – lobsters too. It’s such a waste,” Jim Thomas, a commercial fisherman, told National Geographic.
https://youtu.be/qJxR4Pjoy6A Hopeful Jeremy Allen White lookalikes gathered in Chicago’s Humboldt Park on Nov. 16 to…
She went on to share that everyone in the family had been found to have…
https://youtu.be/SOPxZb0QL3Q After 30 years stuck in a small cage, a black bear in Keenesburg, Colorado,…
Zegler, 23, wrote, “I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow.”
He revealed his obsession has become so compulsive that he even uses them when he…
https://youtu.be/LMyATQGvxyo Four people have been arrested in California for insurance fraud after multiple claims were…