Scientists are puzzling over a “turducken of the sea,” or a shark inside of a shark caught off the coast of Delaware.
Researchers of the University of Delaware had tagged sand tiger sharks and hoped to recapture them during a recent fishing trip. They caught a large female, but were in for a surprise when the shark finally breached, reports GrindTV .
They cast a small fish called a menhaden to lure the sand tiger shark, but it ended up being eaten by a dogfish shark. The dogfish was then swallowed by a larger sand tiger shark.
“The dogfish was about 3 feet long and completely swallowed by the sand tiger shark,” University scientists wrote on their ORB Lab Facebook page .
Pro bass angler Aaron Martens also thought that the catch was strange, commenting: “There’s gotta be some kind of ‘turducken’ label for this kind of situation.”
University of Delaware scientists have been studying the habits of sand tiger sharks, known for their many dagger-like teeth that protrude from their jaws.
“Their protruding spike-like teeth are perfect for spearing their favorite foods: bony fishes, small sharks, rays, squids, crabs, and lobsters,” the ORB Lab wrote on a separate Facebook post.
Now they can update and say that the teeth are also perfect for spearing a dogfish with a menhaden inside of it.
Sand tiger sharks can grow up to 10 feet and lose an average of one tooth each day. They have 56 rows of teeth in each jaw that are “at any time waiting to replace lost or broken teeth.”
Check out the crazy shark within a shark picture above, courtesy of the University of Delaware. Let us know what you think: Is “turducken of the sea” an appropriate label here?