While the seal was definitely not happy about being caught, it was likely relieved to have the barb pulled from its neck. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
There is a group of people in Namibia doing amazing work for little to no praise. Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN), they’re called, and they work extraordinarily hard to protect the coastline near their home and the animals that live there. In this video, they found a cape fur seal with something odd lodged in its neck: a venomous spine from a shark.
“It’s uncommon but not unheard of: a St. Joseph shark’s spike lodged in a seal’s neck,” OCN wrote. “This spike, a large venomous barb extending from the shark’s dorsal fin, likely got there during a hunt.”
Although cape fur seals don’t always eat sharks, they have been known to when necessity dictates.
“When seals can’t find their usual prey, they may turn to alternative food sources, including this type of shark,” OCN continued. “In the process of breaking the shark into smaller, more manageable pieces, they can accidentally ‘spike’ themselves. While this is considered a natural form of entanglement and typically doesn’t cause serious harm, we removed it to prevent infection and minimize irritation.”
