In a battle over territory, the bigger and stronger animals tend to come out victorious. This proved to be no different at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, where a female sand tiger shark was captured eating a smaller, male shark of a different species.
Incredible video footage shows the sand tiger shark (which aren’t the same as tiger sharks) consuming a much smaller banded shark. At one point, the tail of the banded shark was seen hanging out.
According to The Telegraph, the tiger shark measured at 7.2 feet in length and the smaller banded shark was only 3.9 feet in length.
“Sharks have their own territory. However, sometimes when they bump against each other, they bite out of astonishment,” COEX aquarium public relations manager Oh Tae Youp said. “I think the shark swallowed the whole body, because they usually eat it all when they bite the head part.”
The female sand tiger shark took all day long to consume the male, Oh added.
Unlike tiger sharks, sand tiger sharks tend to be smaller and more docile. They’re not related to tiger sharks and are more closely related to Great Whites.
But, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, “its size and jagged teeth demand respect and have given it an undeserved reputation as a man-eater in Australia, where it is often confused with other species, mainly requiem sharks. It has been known to attack people when provoked, especially when they are spearfishing.”
