What’s the relationship between sharks and a cow? I know this question is very weird,but it has to do a lot with a strange experiment China has done underwater. A group of scientists in China dropped the body of a cow to the bottom of the sea with a scientific goal behind it: to simulate what happens when a whale dies and sinks. Why would they want to simulate this? Because they wanted to see how deep-sea animals react when that amount of food appears underwater. And what they discovered was much more interesting than they expected.
The experiment was carried out off the coast of Hainan Island, and soon marine creatures began to appear. However, scientists were shocked when they saw eight Pacific sleeper sharks, a species rarely seen… and never before documented in that part of the ocean. Normally, these sharks are seen from Japan to Alaska, so finding them in the South China Sea was a big surprisefor everyone. I’m sure you are curious to see what they discovered, so let’s get started!
An unexpected discovery
The team led by scientist Han Tian believes these sharks didn’t show up there by chance. In fact, thanks to the experiment’s recordings, they saw that these animals frequently appeared in that area, which could mean they have always been there, but no one had noticed before. This changes what experts knew about where these sharks live.
Another curious aspect found was that the sharks didn’t fight over the food, but they waited their turn to approach the cow’s body. One would eat, then leave, and another would take its place. Who would have thought these large predators were so polite?
Size = attitude
What’s also remarkable is the sharks’ size affected their behavior.Some of us get our behaviors changed depending on the wind, and sharks depend on their size. Scientists found the larger ones (2.7 meterslong) went straight for the cow without hesitation, whereas the smaller ones were more cautious since they swam around in circles before getting close, as if waiting to see if it was safe.
They weren’t alone down there…
Not only they saw sharks that appeared, but also other animals were attractedby the cow. Among these other marine creatures they found: snailfish and amphipods. The fact that they arrived at the site shows that the depths of the South China Sea are full of life and much richer in biodiversity than previously thought.
So, what does all this tell us?
This experiment might sound strange at first, I mean, there is a cow deep in the ocean which isn’t a common plan to do. Or do you know someone who does this? But thanks to this bold idea, scientists got a rare look at how deep-sea animals behave when faced with a huge food source. They not only spotted a rare species of shark in an unexpected place, but also saw how these animals act around each other, depending on their size and place in the group.
It also reminded us of something important: there is still so much we don’t know about the ocean. Beneath the surface, entire ecosystems are living, changing, and surprising us in ways we didn’t imagine. Even today, with all our technology, the deep sea continues to be one of the most mysterious places on Earth.
Is the sea the most mysterious place on Earth for you? I mean, many people are scared of the sea for this reason, they don’t know what’s going on underwater and they feel a marine creature in under them. Have you ever experienced anything like this?