‘Holy Grail of shark science’ captured by drone off the coast of California

Through binoculars, Philip Stearns carefully followed the drone as it flew just a few feet above the crashing waves off Padaro Beach in Carpinteria, about 8 miles east of Santa Barbara.

On a sunny afternoon in July 2023, the University of California, Riverside biology doctoral student was sitting in a camp chair in the sand next to wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna. While sheltering from the sweltering heat with umbrellas, they searched for great white sharks, the world’s largest carnivorous fish.

At least eight hours had passed since Gauna first activated the camera, and quite a few unusual sights had been observed during that time. The carnivore darted through the water, creeping within a few feet of swimmers who were unaware of its presence. They saw one shark with a fishing hook stuck in its mouth, likely due to some kind of fishing interaction. But one particular shark (a female) made them stop.

She looked quite large and was moving around erratically, but when I tried to see her up close, she disappeared into the depths of the water. Gauna was using her pack, her second battery from last that day. He continued to use his 15 battery packs. But they both knew they were feeling something. As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, he flew the drone back to shore, charged it, and sent it out again.

“I just heard him say, ‘Whoa,’” Stearns told SFGATE by phone Thursday afternoon. “I leaned over and got right behind him and saw this white object appear on the screen. I almost fell out of my seat with excitement.”

At first they thought it was an albino shark, but this would have been a very rare sighting. But as Stearns studies this species’ morphology, he begins to notice some other details. This shark was very small, only about 5 feet long, and had rounded fins typical of newborn or fetal sharks.

That’s when Gauna’s camera started malfunctioning again. They scrambled to get the baby shark’s GPS location, inserted the last battery, and returned the drone to its original location, just about 1,000 feet from shore.

“I was pretty much breathing down his neck at this point,” Stearns said. “We were giddy with excitement.”

They spotted the shark again, and even on a small screen, they could see that it had the typical coloration of the species: gray on the top and white on the underside. But they noticed that the ghostly pale color seemed to come from a membrane-like substance that was actively shedding from the pup’s body. That’s when they realized something. This may have been the first time a great white shark has been caught on camera while it has just shed its embryonic layer.

“We were completely shocked,” Stearns said.

Scientists have previously reported that the coastline from Santa Barbara to Baja California could be a breeding ground for great white sharks in late summer and early fall, but because the species is so elusive, , little is known about the early life history and reproductive behavior of great white sharks. They swim long distances and frequently dive deep into the ocean, making them difficult to track and monitor.

“That’s one of the biggest mysteries we have: Where do they mate? Where do they give birth?” Stearns said. “Even though we’re doing tagging, it’s just a dead zone. So capturing this moment… is the holy grail of shark science. You’re looking for a specific time and place like that . We’re talking about something that’s highly unlikely to be in the right place at the right time. It’s a breakthrough.”

Their observations and subsequent findings, published last week in the journal Environment Biology of Fishes, raise another possibility: sharks are suffering from an unknown skin disease not previously observed in sharks. I admit it. It may be caused by genetic problems or some type of contamination. Skin mutations have previously been observed in sharks and rays, but they are rare, and research shows that 1,200 species of elasmobranchs, a subclass of cartilaginous fish to which great white sharks fall, have albinism and albinism. Only 62 cases of the disease have been reported.

However, Stearns and Gauna said the size of the shark, where and when it was photographed, and existing knowledge that adult great white sharks produce uterine milk during their gestation period and can leave behind traces of whitish fluid. Based on this, we believe that this possibility is low. About newborn puppies.

Regardless of the exact details, new information is critical for future research on this species.

“If this is a newborn, it solves the mystery that they are born near the coast and use the coastline as a birthing site, which helps us better manage and protect these animals,” Stearns said. “If it is a skin disease, no one has seen such symptoms before, so further research is needed by the scientific community.”

Further evidence that sharks frequent shorelines near the coast is evidence that scientists are seeking information on how people can safely share water with animals and eliminate human-wildlife interactions. It also helps spread the word. A two-year study published last June by the Shark Research Institute at California State Long Beach found that young great white sharks and humans swam together 97% of the time in two locations in Santa Barbara and San Diego counties. , it turns out that the animals tended to mind their own business. Most swimmers and surfers were unaware of their presence.

“This shows us that we need to let animals do what they’re supposed to do and not hurt them in the process,” Stearns said.

Now, Stearns and Gauna have one goal. The idea is to get back in the water and try to find another newborn shark.

“All we can do is document this and try to find more answers,” Stearns said.