This otter caught a shark and promptly tried to eat it

Nature will never cease to surprise us. Along the Californian coast, in the United States, two photographers took to the sea. At one point they realised that there was some activity on the surface of the water. What they discovered left them speechless. A sea otter was hanging on to a shark, visibly trying to bite into it. This rare scene has since astonished specialists.

Exceptional photos

These photos were taken by Don Henderson and Alice Cahill, two American photographers, near Morro Bay, California. In the different images, you can see an otter hanging from the neck of a Mexican horned shark, also known as a Pacific sleeper shark.

The photographs were shared by Sea Otter Savvy, a non-profit organisation that seeks to promote ‘responsible wildlife viewing and awareness of the effect our behaviour can have on sea otters and other wildlife.’

An otter attacking a shark

These images are precious because they are rare. Michael Harris of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told USA Today that these photos show a phenomenon never before observed: a sea otter attacking a shark.

To my knowledge (and that of a group of colleagues), this is the first documented capture of a Mexican horned shark shark by a sea otter (...) There are reports of sea otters catching rays, but this is the first report of a shark. Sea otters sometimes feed on fish, but this is a very rare sighting in California.

The sea otter, the smallest marine mammal in North America, usually feeds on invertebrates such as sea urchins, crabs, clams, etc... Don't worry, the otter obviously did not kill or devour the shark. Its eyes were probably bigger than its stomach!

Check out the video above to learn a very simple trick to avoid getting attacked by a shark.