Groundbreaking Discovery: First-Ever Sighting of Newborn Great White Shark

In a remarkable breakthrough, researchers in California believe they have captured the first-ever images of a newborn great white shark. The momentous discovery was made last summer near Santa Barbara on California’s central coast by wildlife film-maker Carlos Gauna and Phillip Sternes, a biology doctoral student at the University of California, Riverside.

The drone images revealed a surprising find – a newborn great white shark, approximately 5 feet long and uniquely pure white. This coloration is distinct, as adult great whites typically exhibit a white underside and gray on top. Upon closer inspection, Sternes noted, “We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed from the body as it was swimming. I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”

The researchers, renowned for their shark documentaries with millions of views on YouTube, detailed their findings in an article published in the Environmental Biology of Fishes journal. While acknowledging the possibility of a skin condition causing the thin white film, they argue that the evidence points towards the shark being a newborn great white. Gauna mentioned observing large pregnant great whites in the area before the newborn’s sighting, aligning with the expected timeframe for shark pup births.

Describing the find as “one of the holy grails of shark science,” Gauna expressed excitement, stating, “No one has ever been able to pinpoint where they are born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive.” The researchers suspect that the documented animal was only days or hours old, providing potential insight into the elusive birthing locations of great white sharks.

Experts in the field have hailed this observation as “hugely significant,” marking a groundbreaking moment in shark science. Despite intense interest in these apex predators, witnessing the birth of a great white shark in the wild has remained an elusive mystery until now.

In a remarkable breakthrough, researchers in California believe they have captured the first-ever images of a newborn great white shark. The momentous discovery was made last summer near Santa Barbara on California’s central coast by wildlife film-maker Carlos Gauna and Phillip Sternes, a biology doctoral student at the University of California, Riverside.

The drone images revealed a surprising find – a newborn great white shark, approximately 5 feet long and uniquely pure white. This coloration is distinct, as adult great whites typically exhibit a white underside and gray on top. Upon closer inspection, Sternes noted, “We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed from the body as it was swimming. I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”

The researchers, renowned for their shark documentaries with millions of views on YouTube, detailed their findings in an article published in the Environmental Biology of Fishes journal. While acknowledging the possibility of a skin condition causing the thin white film, they argue that the evidence points towards the shark being a newborn great white. Gauna mentioned observing large pregnant great whites in the area before the newborn’s sighting, aligning with the expected timeframe for shark pup births.

Describing the find as “one of the holy grails of shark science,” Gauna expressed excitement, stating, “No one has ever been able to pinpoint where they are born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive.” The researchers suspect that the documented animal was only days or hours old, providing potential insight into the elusive birthing locations of great white sharks.

Experts in the field have hailed this observation as “hugely significant,” marking a groundbreaking moment in shark science. Despite intense interest in these apex predators, witnessing the birth of a great white shark in the wild has remained an elusive mystery until now.