YouTube user Julian had an extremely unusual encounter with a whale shark this year.
He was free diving off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico when he spotted a majestic whale shark.
Julian readied his GoPro camera and dove down to swim next to the beautiful shark. As he changed the angle of the camera, possibly to film himself swimming with the shark, a cloud of green can be seen forming in the water.
He begins to swim away from the shark when he realizes the shark has just evacuated its bowels, and then begins to exhale as he avoids the fecal cloud and heads to the surface. The look on his face is one of confounded shock and astonishment.
“While filming whale sharks off Isla Mujures, Mexico, a whale shark decided to relieve itself right when I dove down to try and film from underneath. I’d like to say that’s the first shark to sh*t on me, but it’s not,” Julian said in the description.
Whale shark expert Dr. Alistair Dove said the sharks “poop quite a lot, but I’ve never considered it a sign of stress. They’re more likely to roll over on their side and, or, dive sharply.”
Whale sharks will often roll their hard bellies toward a threat as the belly is extremely tough and offers some protection from predators.
If you enjoyed Whale Shark Poops on Diver, you might also like Tracking Sharks interview with Dr. Alistair Dove
