🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A diver has captured the chilling moment a tiger shark goes into "hunt mode" after picking up his scent underwater.
In the footage, which has been viewed over 900,000 times on TikTok, the shark's eyes can be seen changing color from dark to white when she gets a whiff of her potential prey.
"The white eyes is a protective membrane, so when a shark is about to eat or in 'hunt mode' the layer of white will come up to protect its eyes from getting scratched by prey trying to get away," Dan Senior, aka @scubadan_, who recorded the footage, told Newsweek.
This protective layer, called a nictitating membrane, is an extension of the lower eyelid, similar to the third eyelid seen in many species of bird, amphibians and some mammals. Not all sharks have this membrane and some, like the great white shark, will instead roll their eyes backwards to protect them from damage.
In the video, the white membrane can be seen snapping down over the tiger shark's eyes as she swims towards the camera, only for it to lift again when she realizes that there is no food to be had.
Tiger sharks are found throughout the world's temperate and tropical waters. They can grow up to 18 feet long and are responsible for more unprovoked attacks on humans than any other shark species after the great white shark. However, bites from this species are still extremely rare.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sharks usually only attack people when they are confused or curious. For example, they might see a swimmer splashing about in the water and mistake them for a seal or large fish.
Humans are more of a risk to sharks than they are to us, and tiger sharks are routinely hunted for their fins, flesh and oil. But these large fish play an important role in their local ecosystems. "Tigers [...] are the garbage men of the sea as they eat and scavenge anything," Senior said.
Senior has been diving for 11 years and has had run-ins with tiger sharks, bull sharks, great whites and killer whales. However, he said that his most dangerous encounter was with a blue-ringed octopus, one of the most venomous animals in the world.
Tiger sharks, he said, are generally fairly slow moving, although you should always keep your eyes on them if you are in close proximity as they can be "super sneaky."
"All sharks must be respected. They are not the man killers that [the] Jaws movie makes out but they are sharks and they are built to survive in any way they can."
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more