Tiger shark misses hunting turtle twice.

In Brazil, a tiger shark cornered a turtle in shallow water, biting its front flipper but then letting it escape.

Filmmaker Carlos Gauna used a drone to film a tiger shark cub's hunt in Sueste Bay, Fernando de Noronha Islands, Brazil, Earth Touch News reported on January 26. Initially, the tiger shark appeared to try to corner the sea turtle in increasingly shallower water. There, the sea turtle seemed less agile, giving the predator the advantage. The tiger shark pursued, then bit the prey's front flipper.

However, the sea turtle struggled free and quickly fled. It even swam upside down, using its hard shell to separate vital organs from the predator. When the sea turtle swam to the coral reef, the tiger shark accepted that it had lost its prey and stopped the pursuit.

The tiger shark, not giving up, targeted another turtle. This time, the predator again bit the flipper. However, the sea turtle successfully escaped once more, leaving the tiger shark hungry.

The tiger shark population of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago has the highest genetic diversity among known tiger shark populations. Research also shows that they travel from distant lands to congregate in these nutrient-rich waters to breed.

The Fernando de Noronha archipelago, especially Sueste Bay, may play another important role in the life cycle of tiger sharks. After observing their behavior, Gauna suspected that the immature sharks might use the shallow waters of the bay as a training ground to develop their turtle-hunting skills. He and two other researchers, Rangel and Fabio Borges from the Instituto Vida na Oceano, began using drones daily to film them. They almost exclusively saw tiger shark juveniles active in the bay. Furthermore, despite filming dozens of turtle hunts, none were successful.

More experienced and mature tiger sharks may choose a different tactic when hunting turtles. According to research, they often attack unexpectedly from below, leaving the turtle unable to defend itself before it can escape.

Borges stated that further research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn about habitat utilization or differences in hunting techniques between young and adult tiger sharks. He also noted that the use of drones to collect shark data is a pioneering method in Fernando de Noronha and the results are very encouraging.

Thu Thao (According to Earth Touch News )

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