A couple of boaters in Rhode Island got the surprise of a lifetime when a giant, 20-foot shark decided to visit them. The video of the massive shark swimming around Rhode Island's Block Island over the Memorial Day weekend has now gone viral. Appropriately so, seeing as the shark made its grand appearance on the 50th anniversary of the movie Jaws. Now, people fear that Jaws may be making a comeback.
Is Jaws Making A Comeback? Massive 20-Foot Shark Appears In Rhode Island
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Although Jaws was a success at the box office, naturally, no one hopes it will make a comeback in real life. Despite this video looking terrifying, it is not the "man-eating" great white shark from the film that is featured in this video. Instead, CBS News shares that it is more likely a basking shark. According to Oceana, "The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world."
That would explain how it was able to dwarf the boat that was in the water next to it. Although it may look like something out of a horror film, the basking shark has no interest in consuming humans. Instead, similarly to the whale shark, the basking shark eats tiny, planktonic prey. Although this 20-foot shark in Rhode Island seems terrifying, basking sharks can get even larger.
They can reach lengths of up to 40 feet. Can you imagine seeing a shark that size? They tend to stay near the surface, with their massive mouths agape, in hopes of filtering and catching their prey. Occasionally, they will make deeper feeding dives, but that is less common. Not much is known about this massive creature, but scientists do know that they do not tend to stay in one place for more than a couple of months. So it's truly a rare treat that this Jaws-size shark made its comeback, or instead its debut, on the 50th anniversary of the film.
The Internet Reacts
The internet had a field day with this insane footage. Here are some of the comments left under the video that show the 20-foot shark in Rhode Island swimming behind a boat. I wasn't the only one who thought this looked like a Jaws comeback.
"That's a "we're gonna need a bigger boat" shark! ? actually probably a Basking Shark and they are very sweet and harmless."
""There's a shaaak in the pond. Shaaak! Shaaak in the pond!!" Love this announcement ?."
"50th anniversary of me never going past my waist in the ocean."
""Larry...we're gonna HAVE to close the beaches!"?."
