Was That Real A Shark In Flooded Florida Neighborhood After Hurricane Ian?

Science Was That Real A Shark In Flooded Florida Neighborhood After Hurricane Ian? Melissa Cristina Márquez Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the latest, exciting research on sharks worldwide! Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 6, 2022, 11:14pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It happens every time there’s a hurricane – the shark photos, memes, and old videos showing ‘proof’ that a shark (usually one that looks like a great white) is taking advantage of flooded streets and malls to search for… well, who knows what.

For years both journalists and shark scientists have had to put up with the deluge of fake images and videos, telling the public the same message: “this is fake. ” In fact, even the Twitter page for Snopes has begged people to stop sharing the proven false photos and videos. So, it was to no one’s surprise when a video popped up after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida claiming to capture a shark in floodwaters.

This video, however, was different. “I didn’t know what it was, it just looked like a fish or something,” Cameratta told news outlets. .

. . [+] “I zoomed in, and all my friends are like: ‘It’s like a shark, man!’” Dominic Cameratta via Storyful Past hoax videos usually showed sharks in flooded malls or swimming down highways, but this one seemed to be in someone’s backyard near Fort Myers, Florida.

The fact that this was a new video garnered a lot of attention, racking up millions of views on Twitter. The skepticism was rampant – and warranted. The first question many asked was, “Is this an actual video?” An answer quickly came with both Storyful and The Associated Press confirming its authenticity through examination of the video’s metadata and subsequent interviews.

AP got the scoop from local real estate agent Dominic Cameratta, who confirmed he filmed the clip himself on Wednesday morning. “I didn’t know what it was, it just looked like a fish or something,” he told news outlets. “I zoomed in, and all my friends are like: ‘It’s like a shark, man!’” So, the clip is real.

But is that really a shark? It’s hard to tell – and even shark scientists are stumped. George Burgess, a former director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark program, told the Washington Post that the fish in the video appears to be a juvenile shark. “Young bull sharks are common inhabitants of low salinity waters — rivers, estuaries, subtropical embayments — and often appear in similar videos in FL water bodies connected to the sea such as coastal canals and ponds,” Burgess said.

“Assuming the location and date attributes are correct, it is likely this shark was swept shoreward with the rising seas. ” “Young bull sharks are common inhabitants of low salinity waters — rivers, estuaries, subtropical . .

. [+] embayments — and often appear in similar videos in FL water bodies connected to the sea such as coastal canals and ponds,” Burgess says. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Dr.

Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist who studies shark behavior at Florida International University, is on the fence about the video. Papastamatiou pointed to the science that shows many shark species are known to flee shallow, coastal regions ahead of hurricanes, possibly being tipped off to the giant storm’s arrival by a drastic change in barometric pressure. A shark could have accidentally swum up into the creek, he reckons, or been washed into it.

MORE FOR YOU Livestream Shopping Stays Hot As Whatnot Valuation More Than Doubles To $3. 7 Billion Basking Sharks Have Another Reason To Love Ireland – They Now Have A Special Protected Status There! Today’s Wordle Word Of The Day #475 Hint, Clues And Answer For Friday, October 7th But Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, the director of the University of Miami’s shark conservation program, isn’t as convinced, saying it was difficult to tell what exactly the fish was.

It should be of note that the video caught the fish swimming near a pond that was overflowing, causing some experts to lean towards this just being an escapee. It seems we will never have a definitive answer to this mystery. While shark experts are split over the identification, some Twitter users were convinced and have dubbed the grainy fish a “street shark.

” Perhaps this is a new rendition for “Baby Shark” writers to pick up and write a song about? Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Check out my website . Melissa Cristina Márquez Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.