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The waters off the coast of Cape Town are famously among the places in the world where great white sharks are most likely to be spotted. In the past few weeks, encounters with great white sharks have been frequent.
Sharks are more prevalent at this time of year, hunting seals and fish swimming near shore. "The behavior in the drone footage shows the sharks paying attention to swimmers and observing them," said Sarah Waries, a researcher with the Cape Town City Shark Detection Programme (CoCT). "It's important to remember that great white sharks are apex predators with a curious nature. While shark attacks are rare, visitors must understand the risks of sharing the ocean with these animals and modify their behavior to avoid encounters."
The waters off the coast of Cape Town are famously among the places in the world where great white sharks are most likely to be spotted.
Most great white shark attacks on humans occur when the animals are confused, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. They probe unfamiliar objects to determine what they are and whether they are worth eating. There were 64 shark attacks worldwide in 2019 that resulted in two fatalities, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History database.
Great white sharks are the world's largest predatory fish, reaching lengths of up to 6.4 meters and weighing 2,100 kilograms. They inhabit temperate seas from California to Australia and South Africa, where seals and sea lions, their favorite prey, are abundant.
