Carlos Gauna films sharks a lot more than the average person. While he’s not a marine biologist, he’s one of those people who has learned so much about a certain thing that he’s about as close to one as you could be without having the paperwork to prove it. In his latest video, he compiled a few clips of some sharks that look a little different than normal.
“In this video,” he wrote, “I share some of the most unusual sharks I’ve ever filmed — from missing pectoral fins to one shark unlike anything I’ve seen before, missing half of its tail.”
There are a variety of reasons why a great white shark might be missing a big chunk of its tail, but the most likely is a boat strike. It happens far more often than you think — most notably, perhaps, in the case of Blade Runner, a humpback whale that survived a horrendous injury from a ship’s prop — and sharks are likely victims.
Since they spend quite a bit of their time (the younger ones, anyway) near shore in relatively shallow waters, boats can easily run over them without even noticing. The injuries can be catastrophic.
One shark from the video in particular is missing the upper lobe of its caudal fin (also known as the tail fin), which certainly doesn’t make life easier. Sharks are incredibly good at adapting, though, and despite its injuries, it appears to be relatively healthy.