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AUSTRALIA — A new YouTube video offers a glimpse into the frightening speed and stealth with which a great white shark can strike.
The 17-second video shows a metal drone suspended underwater. Suddenly, a shark appears from below and latches onto it with its teeth. The force of the impact is evident as the drone is buffeted about in the water.
Once the shark realizes the drone isn’t edible, it releases its grasp and retreats into the depths. The attack lasts only about three seconds, demonstrating the swiftness of many shark encounters.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the video was most likely filmed off the coast of Australia. Great white sharks are common in the southern waters of Australia and have been involved in many of the fatal attacks recorded in the country.
The Australian government has listed the great white shark as a vulnerable species and maintains the White Shark Recovery Plan to help bolster the population.
In the past, there have been controversial shark culls in Australia. While some residents view them as a necessary practice to improve beach safety, conservationists assert that culls destroy harmless species and rarely even get the large sharks that pose a threat to humans.
