It has been widely accepted that no one has ever seen a baby white shark in the wild until 2023. Great whites are very elusive when they give birth. Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes may have captured the first-ever footage of a newborn great white shark near Santa Barbara, California.
The shark, which appeared entirely white and was shedding a thin layer of skin, was filmed close to the shore, suggesting that the area might be a birthing location for these sharks.
This discovery is significant as it could help with the conservation of great whites, which are an endangered species.
Sources
Gauna, C., Sternes, P.C. Novel aerial observations of a possible newborn white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in Southern California. Environ Biol Fish (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-024-01512-7
