A video captured by an underwater robot has scientists scratching their heads. The video, which was captured in Beagle Marine Park in Australia, shows thousands of female sharks sleeping on the seafloor. Scientists aren’t exactly sure what to make of the crazy shark video, with the researchers describing it as “thousands of sharks tightly packed like a carpet spread across the seafloor.”
While the researchers initially only noticed that there were thousands of sharks, they later confirmed that the gathering was just female sharks. This has led to some speculation that perhaps they were feasting on a local delight for sharks in the area—doughboy scallops—before making their way north to lay their eggs. However, scientists aren’t really sure what to make of it.
The crazy shark video was captured using an underwater robot deployed from a South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) research vessel called the MRV Ngerin. The robot was controlled by scientists working at the University of Tasmania Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
Finding this many sharks in one place was certainly surprising, and it has left the researchers who have watched the footage with quite a few questions. Most notably, they’re trying to figure out why the gathering only included females. If they can figure that out, then they may be able to sort out why the sharks had gathered there in the first place.
Until then, though, all anyone can really do is watch the footage and speculate. And it is quite a video to watch. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to see thousands of sharks lying on the seafloor, this crazy shark video is probably one of the best chances you’ll get to see it.
And, it isn’t nearly as terrifying as the ghost shark researchers found off the coast of Thailand.
