Video has been shared showing a hammerhead shark as it investigates divers off the coast of Florida.
The video was posted to Facebook February 3 and features an extremely inquisitive shark.
Leigh Cobb and Christian Torres were scuba diving with Calypso Dive Charters when the large great hammerhead came in for a closer look.
At first the shark bumps into one diver’s brightly colored fins. It may have been curious about the highly reflective orange fin gliding through the water.
However, after the diver’s fin brushed it away, the shark turns back toward the diver. It seems the shark may have been drawn to this diver in particular because of the electrical impulses generated by the camera’s strobe lights.
Hammerheads are excellent at hunting prey, and have uniquely shaped heads that aid in finding prey on the ocean floor. Their heads feature ampullae of Lorenzini, special electroreceptors which feature a network of jelly-filled pores sharks use to sense electrical fields in the water.
In addition, these sharks have one eye on each end of their hammer-shaped heads. This allows them see both above and below, in a 360-degree view on a vertical plane, fast-moving sea creatures like squids or rays.
The shark seen in the video appears to be drawn to the diver’s camera and rubs its head against the camera for several seconds. Notice that while the shark is examining the camera, it also looks at the diver’s fins.
The shark may actually be confused as to why the camera is releasing the electrical impulses, while the fins may look more like a food source.
While the video is a great encounter on its own merit, it is fascinating to see how the hammerhead shark focuses only on the diver who carries the camera with electrical strobes.
There have been several videos posted of sharks, including great whites and tigers, biting boat motors. It is theorized that sharks, like the hammerhead seen in the video, may be attracted to the electrical magnetic impulses generated by motors.
