These Photos Do Not Show Baby Great White Sharks
The Claim
Multiple photos posted on social media recently depict "baby great white sharks" that have washed up on seashores around the US.
News posted on
Emerging story
For the past few years, starting around 2012, many photos have been posted to social media sites claiming to depict baby great white sharks—a cuter, cuddlier version of the famous deadly predator. The first record of such an instance is from 2012, when marine biologist Alan Holyoak discovered one such shark. The photos went viral at the time.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation into this claim reveals it to be false. The photos for these past few years have depicted a different species of shark—the salmon shark. Salmons sharks look remarkably like great white sharks, except that they only grow to be about half the size. Holyoak makes this distinction in his original post about the salmon shark, but it would seem that people have misinterpreted what they have seen nevertheless.
