Shark vs. Tuna (Full Episode) | National Geographic

Video Statistics and Information

Video

Captions Word Cloud

Reddit Comments

Captions

An ancient arena for ocean giants. (music) In one corner, enormous yellowfin tuna, nearly twice the length of a man, weighing over 800 pounds. One of the fastest fish in the ocean. In the other corner, sharks; thousands of them. Crushing teeth, lightning-fast speed, and street-gang numbers. But the tuna remain one step ahead. This is Shark vs. Tuna. (music) (music) Some call it The Rock. A Jurassic Park lost in the South Atlantic Ocean. Over 1,000 miles from land in any direction, this is Ascension Island, Darwin's best-kept secret. Everything that lives here or stops here is either hunter or hunted. Ascension plays host to one of nature's greatest showdowns. Thousands of the ocean's most deadly predators arrive from far and wide to fight it out in a high-stakes battle royale. (music) (music) Schools of jacks dominate the drop-offs. Thousands of green turtles come here annually to nest on the sandy beaches, and swarms of huge predatory fish like barracuda, marlin and wahoo lurk in the open water. But no one is safe. Except maybe this enormous yellowfin tuna. This super fish normally lives life in the desert of the open ocean where food is scarce. But every Easter, Ascension Island becomes an oasis for giant tuna migrating across the Atlantic. It's one of the largest concentrations of yellowfin in the world. (music) To get in and out of The Rock alive, you must be big, smart and fast. Despite being near the top of the food chain, tuna are a favorite meal for sharks, if they can catch them. So not only must the yellowfin be an exceptional predator, it must be a wily escape artist, too. The average yellowfin is by no means small, but Ascension is home to giants. Nearly twice the length of a man and as heavy as a horse, this is one of the fastest fish in the ocean. Even the US Navy studied it as a model for submersible drones. Built for speed, the tuna's gills are over 30 times larger than other fish its size, to draw in more oxygen. And its heart is 10 times bigger with a faster heartbeat. Like the great white shark, the yellowfin is warm-blooded, which allows it to swim faster for longer and exploit the colder, deeper waters where other predators can't hunt. Little can keep up with or escape this turbocharged fish. And their next feeding stop is Ascension Island. (music) The tuna's arrival acts like a dinner bell for some of the ocean's fiercest marine predators. At this time of year, the tuna are set to run a gauntlet of sharks. And they aren't the only ones that want a piece of the tuna. (music) Tales of Ascension's big game fish attract sports fishermen and trophy hunters from all over the world. Of all the fish they target here, the giant yellowfin is highly prized. Some carry a $20,000 paycheck. The wily tuna doesn't take the bait this time; an eight-foot wahoo does. (music) (music) (music) Below the surface, the fish's struggles are a call to arms. (music) At Ascension, everyone's hungry. (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) In under a minute, a 120-pound wahoo is obliterated. (music) They try to eat everything, even the bony head. (music) (music) (music) (music) With the sharks distracted in frenzy, the tuna escape, but the battle lines are drawn. These sharks mean business, and there are thousands of them. Like the tuna, sharks ride the South Atlantic current to Ascension in terrifying numbers. (music) Tigers, hammerheads and mako, to the ever-increasing sightings of Galapagos sharks, each is locked in an evolutionary arms race with the tuna. And right now, no one knows who's winning. The sharks patrol the beaches. The Rock is under siege. (music) (music) There is an abundance of prey here, but like the fishermen, the sharks' holy grail is the giant yellowfin. After traveling thousands of miles to get here, these sharks are desperate to replenish their reserves. (music) (music) Tuna are jam-packed with some of the richest, fattiest meat in the ocean, and an 800-pound yellowfin is the jackpot. But how on Earth will these sharks successfully catch and kill such formidable prey? (music) Yellowfin tuna are unbelievably fast, powerful predators, and for a shark, incredibly hard to catch. There are only a handful of contenders up for the tuna challenge. To hunt these super fish, you need extraordinary predatory powers. Meet the resident bad boy, the Galapagos shark. Ascension is their local hunting ground, and unlike the tuna and migrant sharks, they know this terrain like the backs of their hands. Most of them grew up here, learning to hunt in the shallow nurseries. And in the last two years, Galapagos sightings have increased dramatically. Despite reaching 12 feet in length, this welterweight is only half the size of the giant yellowfin. Its streamlined and slender frame does give this shark agility and speed like the tuna, but like its cousin, the tiger shark, the Galapagos has more powerful jaws and sharper, serrated teeth. This allows for a highly varied diet, from bony fish and iguanas, to sea lions, and even each other. But here at Ascension, yellowfin remain a number one prize. Oily prey like tuna leaves a scent signature up to two miles away. In the open blue water, this Galapagos shark's incredible sense of smell could give it the edge. Almost two-thirds of their brain is dedicated to smell. (music) The nostrils, or nares, are not required for breathing. All the better to smell you with. 10,000 times better than humans. Where the Galapagos shark matches the tuna is in numbers. Most sharks hunt alone, but the Galapagos move in a mob, a veritable street gang of aggression. They investigate anything that may potentially become prey. Like a school of piranhas, competition drives them to frenzy. (music) (music) The Galapagos may be fast, agile and aggressive, and they may have the numbers, but one-on-one, they hardly stand a chance. In the open ocean, the giant tuna are just too fast, too strong and too big. This underdog would have to do something spectacular to sink its teeth into one. To win a giant tuna, you need to put more on the table. A heavyweight enters the ring. The tiger shark. Like its namesake, its striped camouflage allows the tiger to silently stalk prey, virtually undetected. Their stripes may fade with age, but killer instincts and voracious appetites stay with them for life. (music) (music) This undisputed heavyweight weighs nearly four times more than the giant tuna and reaches over half the length of a school bus. It has an arsenal of weaponry to track, hunt and devour massive prey. These super-fast yellowfins are no easy target, so the tiger shark will be on the lookout for struggling young, injured and old fish. A large school offers safety in numbers, both to hunt and to keep a lookout, but you can't hide from the tiger shark. Two powerful internal ears in its forehead pick up sound from several miles away, while specialized reflective plates in the eyes provide night vision in low light. And even if the tiger can't see, smell or hear its prey, it can still feel them. Tracing the shark's body is a thin, fluid-filled tube known as the lateral line. Like an ear, it's lined with millions of tiny hairs that react to any movement in the water, the kind of movement created by feeding tunas. (music) This built-in tracking device helps distinguish large from small prey, individual from school, as well as the distance and speed of its target. (music) Once the tiger gets within range, the tuna doesn't stand a chance. This juggernaut has the power to crush a car. (music) (music) It can eat anything, from dolphins, rays and seals, to whatever falls into the water, like birds, trash and even people. The tiger shark is responsible for the most attacks against humans, second only to the great white. This indiscriminate diet is largely thanks to their highly specialized teeth. This turtle, which most likely succumbed to the exhaustion of nesting, may be too tough for most sharks, but for the tiger, it's a welcome meal. (music) (music) (music) Unlike other sharks that have a variety of teeth, the tigers are almost identical, each working like a circular saw. The highly-serrated edge cuts and slices through flesh, and the large, razor-sharp cusp hacks through bone and shell while the curved shape helps brace each tooth against the powerful bite. The tiger pulverizes the turtle's bones and shell to unlock marrow, proteins and fats. (music) It's all tasty nutrition... if you've got the stomach for it. (music) (music) The tiger's oversized gut is lined with a muscular wall nearly three times thicker than other sharks' and filled with enough acid to handle a license plate. The giant yellowfin may be a prize catch, but this scavenger can fill up on any available food source it finds at Ascension. Yet despite all its raw power, the tiger shark isn't fast enough to catch a healthy tuna. (music) This tank can only swim slightly faster than an iceberg. Even at its top speed of 20 miles per hour, it doesn't have the stamina to keep up. (music) To catch these fish, you need real speed, and there is only one shark fast enough. As well as numbers, the tuna also have exceptional speed and endurance. Thanks to their fatigue-resistant muscles, the giant tuna could finish the Boston Marathon in just over 30 minutes, maxing out at up to 47 miles per hour, as fast as an American quarter horse. Maneuvering at such pace requires military precision. The tuna's bright yellow finlets help reduce turbulence while its fins retract into modified grooves to minimize drag. And unlike any other creature, the tuna uses its lymphatic system like hydraulics to stiffen its fins, which allows for sharp turns when chasing prey. Life at super speed requires fuel, lots of it. Squid, mackerel, octopus, and even other tuna are all on the menu. To satisfy this insatiable hunger, the yellowfin swim nearly 20 miles a day in search of large schools of prey. But here at Ascension, the food is on tap. They track prey by the smell of the oil on its skin. And once spotted, the attacks are so fast, if you blink, you'll miss it. (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) Like lions, the tuna round up their prey, making it easier to pick off. (music) As quickly as it began, the frenzy is over. It takes a thief to catch a thief, so who better than the fastest shark in the world? The shortfin mako. This shark lives life in the fast lane, literally. (music) (music) Unable to pump water over its gills, the mako must keep moving to stay alive. In a 30-year lifetime, this shark can swim more than 15 times around the world. It's slightly smaller than the tiger shark, but every inch of this torpedo from tip to tail is evolved for speed. As heavy as a grizzly, faster than a jackrabbit. It roams the vast, open ocean at lightning speed in search of its favorite prey: bison-sized tuna. Like its name suggests, the shortfin mako has short, pointed fins, which help reduce drag and allow for sharp, tight turns, like a fighter jet, to counter the tuna's evasive maneuvers. Even its narrow, pointed snout and long, recurved teeth are modified for hooking prey on the go. One of the mako's key adaptations for its incredible speed is its metallic-looking skin. Very different than any other animal or bony fish, sharks are covered in thousands of tiny, teeth-like scales. Hard as granite, strong as steel, yet flexible like chainmail, the mako's scales are smaller and lighter than most sharks, modified for speed rather than protection. Each hydrodynamic scale is ridged to channel water, which in turn reduces turbulence and noise. This shark can freewheel at an incredible 35 miles per hour in near complete silence. But to catch giant tuna, the mako must swim faster than any other shark. The secret to its explosive speed is hidden deep within its body. Sharks like the tiger are powered by swimming muscles that run along the sides of their bodies, producing a slow, snakelike movement. While in the mako and the tuna, these same muscles are positioned closer to the backbone. They act like a pair of pistons, much like an engine for a speedboat propeller. These muscles reduce the mako's lateral movements and focus all the raw power directly to its tail. Even their hydrofoil tails are modified for maximum speed. Unlike most sharks, the mako's upper lobe is almost identical in size and shape to the lower lobe. This allows them to catch more water when swimming, optimizing full acceleration. (music) So the shortfin mako has the raw speed to ambush the giant tunas, but the yellowfin has a trump card. It's game on. Two of the ocean's fastest predators are locked in a battle of speed. (music) (music) The mako plays its final hand. This shark can raise its body temperature 18 degrees above that of the water, increasing its hunting abilities, muscle efficiency and power. The mako shifts up into turbo drive, closing the gap, but the tuna has a few tricks up its sleeve, too. In a surprise twist, everything the mako can do, so can the tuna. Through convergent evolution, the yellowfin is also optimized to hunt at speed. Just like the mako, the tuna's torpedo-shaped body is also coated with small scales to reduce drag, and its short, pointed fins also allow for sharp, evasive maneuvers. The tuna also has modified swimming muscles to minimize body movement and provide maximum power to a similar near-symmetrical tail. And like the mako, the tuna can warm its blood to turbocharge its muscles. Mako meets its match. (music) On paper, the mako has the speed, but the overwhelming numbers of tuna create distraction in the chase. Unable to lock on to a target, the mako steps off the gas. Like Houdini, the tunas escape once again, and the mako folds. This elusive super fish gives the sharks of Ascension a run for their money. But there is one threat the tuna cannot escape from... a predator that doesn't play by the rules... man. Although yellowfin are near threatened, they remain a highly prized catch, both commercially and for sport. Anglers, spearfishermen and trophy hunters from all around the world believe that giant yellowfin are, pound for pound, the fastest and strongest of all big game tunas. But it takes ingenuity, patience, and sheer luck to land one. Such a formidable predator has gained the respect and honor of battle, and each year more and more fishermen arrive at Ascension stealing the tuna from right under the sharks' noses. It can take eons for animals to learn new behaviors, but more intelligent creatures can adapt much faster, sometimes within just a few generations. One such species is the Galapagos sharks. Experts believe these resourceful predators have learned to make a crucial connection between the giant tuna and the fishing boats. The Galapagos may not be as fast as the mako or as strong as the tiger, but this dangerously smart predator has a hunting hack, and they plan to use man to help them out. Man is a creature of habit, and fishermen always do the same thing every day. They head out at the same time. They use the same bait. And select the same lures. They trawl the same successful spots, targeting the exact fish that the sharks yearn for. Day after day, the inquisitive Galapagos sharks take advantage of this monotony and start to learn the patterns. (music) (music) Like a hive mind, they begin to associate triggers, sight, sounds and smells of struggling fish. (music) The hum of a boat motor, the scent of bait in the water, or even the snap of a speargun's elastic means it's time to feed. The sharks work out that 20 minutes after a boat arrives, a fish is usually on the line. Forget Pavlov's dogs; meet Pavlov's sharks. Some fishermen will do anything to cash in on a yellowfin, and the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. But entering these waters could cost you your life. (music) Miles out to sea, this spearfisherman is alone... or so he thinks. He baits the water to draw the yellowfin up from the deep. (music) But this free food doesn't only attract the tuna. (music) (music) Several miles away, a pack of hungry Galapagos smell it, too. (music) (music) (music) With chum in the water, the diver knows he only has a short window of opportunity before the sharks find him. Every minute he stays here, the more he puts his life at risk. (music) (music) (music) Who will arrive first? (music) Tuna? Or sharks? (music) Dark shapes appear below. (music) (music) It's the yellowfin, and they're big. They won't hang around for long. (music) Should he risk it? (music) (music) One good-sized tuna could pay the bills for a year. (music) (music) The tuna may be big, but they're so fast, he can't get a clean shot. (music) The longer the diver stays in the water, the more chance the hunter may become the hunted. (music) (music) He lines up. A direct hit. The tuna dives. Now he's fighting a 200-pound lump of muscle. His second spear just seems to enrage the powerful fish further. The more the yellowfin struggles, the clearer the signal is to the sharks: Food is served. (music) (music) The spearfisherman must hurry, but this tuna shows no signs of tiring. (music) (music) Too late. The first wave of Galapagos arrives. They want the tuna, and will happily go through man to get it. (music) (music) (music) The more it struggles, the more excited the sharks become. (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) (man yells) (music) The spearfisherman escapes with his tuna and his life. The hungry sharks are left with nothing but the scraps of his bait bag. Perhaps it was this distraction of free food or that only a handful of sharks arrived that enabled the diver's lucky escape. (music) (music) The fishermen have yet to hook a giant tuna. It's too dangerous to get back in the water. The only safe way to catch one is from the boat. Could this be the opportunity the sharks have been waiting for? For the Galapagos, it's double or nothing. It's the end of July, and the giant tuna are here. These yellowfins are super fast, immensely strong and can grow to well over 800 pounds, making them even harder to catch. They are what everyone wants. For man, a giant yellowfin is worth thousands of dollars and one of the ultimate fishing trophies. For the sharks that traveled all the way to Ascension, the giant tuna is their meal ticket home. Ascension is now the perfect storm of predators. But who will win? The enormous tiger shark is just too slow to step up to the plate. The mako may have supreme speed and agility, but so does the giant tuna. It's the Galapagos mob that has the best chance of a successful hunt. A shark is dangerous enough, but an intelligent shark is deadly. The Galapagos is smart on its own, and here at Ascension, there are thousands of them. This is their domain, and it's time to take it back. Most flee and hide from the approaching fishermen, but for the clever Galapagos, it's a dinner bell. (music) (music) Lures are rigged, the lines are set. It's a waiting game for all. (music) Shapes appear in the deep. (music) (music) A giant tuna takes the bait. (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) The dinner bell is ringing. It's like the wahoo massacre, but this meal is as big as some of the sharks. (music) The giant yellowfin begins to tire. The first Galapagos moves in. For the fishermen, it's a race to get the prize catch onto the safety of the boat. But the tuna is too strong. (music) (music) The Galapagos start to swarm. (music) (music) (music) (music) (music) One dominant shark gets the first taste. Thick, warm blood will attract the masses. Covering the shark's snout are thousands of what appear to be blackheads, but they're really like built-in volt meters picking up the minute electrical signature and even the heartbeat of prey. This sixth sense is the most acute sensory system in the animal kingdom. The salt from the tuna's blood increases the intensity of the electrical field surrounding the fish, which is why a shark will continue to target and attack only the injured victim. Excitement soon turns to frenzy. Tuna is survival to the Galapagos shark. (music) (music) (music) In less than a minute, a 350-pound fish vanishes. The fishermen leave with nothing but a broken line. The Galapagos sharks rule The Rock.

Info

Channel: Nat Geo WILD

Views: 2,589,991

Rating: undefined out of 5

Keywords: Full Episode, Shark, Sharks, Goliath, Monster Fish, Nat Geo, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic, National Geographic WILD, Nat Geo WILD Documentary, Animals, Ocean, Sea, Fishing, Fish, Sealife, ocean life, Tuna, Shark Eats Tuna, Massive Tuna, Giant Tuna

Id: qAG2SkTPltw

Channel Id: undefined

Length: 44min 24sec (2664 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 14 2021