Chilling video shows tiger shark's eyes change when she 'smells' scuba diver
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A shark has been captured on camera appearing to "smell" a diver close by, inciting both curiosity and fear in viewers. Scuba Dan, a diver who goes by the name 'Dan Senior', was filming a giant shark that was thought to be a tiger shark when its eyes appeared to suddenly turn white as it became aware of his presence.
"Watch her eyes change the second she smells me," he said in his TikTok video. He added, "Sharks are super-sensitive to smells that are important to their survival, including scents produced by potential predators, prey or a mate. So maybe she was trying to flirt!"
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@scubadan_ Sharks are super-sensitive to smells that are important to their survival 😱 Including scents produced by potential predators, prey or a mate 😧 So maybe she was trying to flirt! #sharks #sharkbait #tigershark #greatwhiteshark #tigersharks #sharktok #screammovie ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) - howlingindicator
'White eyes mean he's going to eat me'
The short video quickly went viral, garnering more than 1.1 million views, with many seemingly mesmerised by what they saw. "Wow that was actually so cool that was caught on camera," one user commented. "Beautiful," another said. "So white eyes mean he's going to eat me and black eyes mean we chillin?" another asked. "Dan is friend, not food," one person jokingly said, while a mesmerized user said, "I think this is the first time I have been able to notice a shark's pupil."
What actually causes shark's eyes to appear white?
Sharks do have eyelids, but they can't fully close them, thus certain species have what are known as nictitating membranes that protect them when hunting or under attack. They appear to have white eyes because of this. Tiger sharks have an eye-covering layer, but Great Whites do not; instead, they roll their eyes back to shield them.
"This is called ocular rotation and means that in the last moments before they attack they are essentially blind," according to a statement by AZ Animals. It added, "Therefore, the shark must rely on their other senses – such as electroreception – to locate their prey and attack." Fortunately, the shark's eyes in the video can be seen swiftly returning to normal after realizing there is no need to attack.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
