Sharks can be scary. But they can also be absolutely beautiful. Like these basking sharks that feed on plankton and are harmless to humans. A group of up to nine sharks recently surrounded this inflatable research boat off the coast of Ireland’s County Clare. The Irish Basking Shark Project, a group of scientists that study the prehistoric-looking fish, captured the incredible drone footage. Irish Public Broadcasting put the above piece together.
According to scientists (you can hear the commentary below from Dr. Simon Berrow), the basking sharks made a circle near the boat and slowly went deeper and deeper into the sea. Berrow, who spoke about the phenomenon and apparently witnessed it, called the ancient courtship, “prophetic.”
