TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A cellphone video captured the “incredibly rare” moment when several Lemon Sharks surrounded a juvenile alligator near a pier in Jacksonville.
The video, shared by TheDailyGator, shows at least four Lemon Sharks circling mere inches below a juvenile alligator floating at the water’s surface.
An excited voice can be heard in the video estimating the sharks’ lengths between 6 and 8 feet.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Lemon Sharks feed on a variety of bony fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, rays, small sharks, and occasionally sea birds.
The tropical sharks are known to inhabit both the estuarine and nearshore waters of Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts. FWC says the sharks commonly venture into freshwater areas, but do not penetrate as far up rivers as the Bull shark.
While the animal can reach up to 10.5 feet in length, it has been involved in only a few attacks on humans. The shark is estimated to live for 27 years or more.
