Shark Leaps from Water next to Boat: 'Luckiest Man Alive'

A shark was caught on camera leaping whimsically out of the water on a hot summer's day.

The picture, taken by Andrew Williams, was shared to social media by Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari, with which Williams was touring when he took the picture off the coast of New Zealand on December 22.

"I just put my thumb on the photo button," Williams, who was poised with his camera phone in hand as the boat passed a group of bronze whalers, told New Zealand-based magazine Stuff. "I felt the luckiest man alive at that moment."

While Williams initially thought he'd snapped a dolphin, the shark was identified as a bronze whaler shark by the safari group.

"This shark is a bronze whaler and is commonly seen around New Zealand by both boaties and divers," wrote Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari in the post on Facebook. "It is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN because it is late to mature and can take up to 20 years before it reproduces. Not a usual sighting on board Dolphin Explorer but a special one nonetheless!"

Bronze whalers, also known as copper sharks, are found throughout subtropical waters in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as in some small populations in the north Atlantic and Pacific. They can grow to lengths of around 10 feet long, and while they have attacked humans a few times, this occurs very rarely. International Shark Attack File data shows that the bronze whaler has been involved in 15 attacks since 1962, one of which resulted in a fatality.

These sharks are listed as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List worldwide, but locally in New Zealand, where this specimen was spotted, they are considered "Least Concern" as the local fisheries are well-managed enough that the shark population isn't under too much pressure. However, populations have declined in New Zealand due to past overfishing.

Often, landings of bronze whalers are grouped together with other similar Carcharhinus species, meaning that bycatch or deliberate fishing of this species sometimes goes uncounted. This may mean that the species is at more risk than initially thought. Other threats facing these sharks include degradation of their nursery habitats, pollution and entanglement in anti-shark nets.

Breaching, while common in whales and dolphins, is relatively rare in sharks and other fish species. It can be seen most dramatically in great white sharks, which leap out the water with huge power in their attempts to capture and kill prey on the ocean surface. Other species are rarely caught on camera doing the same, however.

"Some species of shark have been known to breach occasionally but it's not something people often have the privilege of seeing," Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari told Newsweek. "It's fantastic to see aerial displays from these animals."

"My understanding is that the reason for breaching isn't well understood by researchers but possibilities include the shark approaching prey from below at speed and then continuing its course into the air, attempts to dislodge parasites that may be attached to its body, or for social reasons," Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari said. "This behavior can also sadly be seen when a shark is caught on a fishing line in its attempt to free itself."

Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari collects data on any sightings of rare and endangered species, including bronze whalers, in order to aid researchers in better understanding them and their behavior.

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