An experienced wildlife photographer was able to capture rare photos of a pair of great white sharks smiling near Santa Cruz County beaches.
Eric Mailander, a professional marine lensman, used a GoPro to photograph more than 20 juvenile white sharks swimming near New Brighton State Beach.
Last week the photographer took a boat to an area nicknamed ‘Shark Park’, where this particular species occurs annually.
He mounted his action camera to a pole and lowered it into the water to document the sharks’ dorsal fin identification numbers.
Eric Mailander, a professional marine photographer, was able to capture rare photos of a pair of great white sharks smiling near the beaches of Santa Cruz County
But to his surprise, the youngsters were intrigued by the pole and swam to it, allowing Mailander to capture the unique photos.
‘We’ve all seen the aerial photos of the dark shark shadows close to shore.
‘It looks like they’re smiling. I wanted to show what they look like underwater,” he said KRON4.
Mailander also used a drone camera to capture the young sharks’ movements in the water.
Speaking of the images, he said: ”I took this footage a few hours ago at Shark Park and it’s amazing. I was filming this 2 meter long white shark with my drone when a young salmon shark suddenly appeared [we think] showed up and this white shark was looking forward to it.
“I’m not sure of the outcome, but the great white shark shows up again at the end of the clip without the shark in its mouth.”
Mailander had been helping scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium monitor populations off the coast of Central California when this unique event occurred.
Mailander, a professional marine lensman, captured more than 20 juvenile white sharks swimming near New Brighton State Beach with a GoPro
Mailander had been helping scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium monitor populations off the coast of Central California when the unique event occurred
The release of these photos comes months after photos were revealed of the first sighting of a newborn great white shark, which captured a five-foot-long predator swimming along the California coast.
The newborn great white shark was thought to be just hours old when scientists spotted it just 300 meters off Santa Barbara beach.
Researchers from the University of California – Riverside captured the astonishing photo, revealing that the newborn was shedding its embryonic layer in January.
Where great white sharks give birth has always been a mystery as scientists have been unable to pinpoint their location, but on July 9, 2023, luck smiled on two filmmakers who scoured the area for sharks.
A newborn great white shark, believed to be only hours old, was filmed off the coast of Santa Barbara, California in 2023
“The place where white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark science,” says wildlife filmmaker Carols Gauna, who took the photos with UC Riverside PhD candidate Phillip Sternes.
‘No one has ever been able to determine where they were born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive.
‘Dead white sharks have been found in deceased pregnant mothers. But nothing like this.”
Gauna has been observing the Santa Barbara coast for years and likely filming pregnant great white sharks, but while the area has been suggested as a possible birthplace, this is the first time there has been evidence.