Shark attack in Egypt

[JustSurfaceInterval]

I am more in favour if the taste bite to test whether that's something he may fancy as lunch or snack inbetween.
Assuming that intelligence to apply that tactic, the shark would be disappointed to see his main course trying to escape and would go after it. The reports does not mention the shark loosing interest for his first target and going after another one. What he would, if really hungry. (Well.... What i would, if i were a shark and hungry).
Don't think the aim is the look for assistance in the kill. That would decrease the bargain of a relative small prey.
But perhaps we've got a shark research expert somewhere on SB who can enlight us.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

That video, and other accounts, brings up a line of thinking I hadn't considered much. Years ago, I read of great whites striking large elephant seals on the rear, effectively crippling them so they drown, without sticking around to 'fight it out' - so a lower risk tactic for the shark.

When I've read or seen video of oceanic white-tips, a pelagic opportunist, biting then backing off, I thought maybe it was due to agitation from perceived provocation leading to an aggressive outburst, or maybe an exploratory bite leading to breaking off the attack when the human in gear didn't 'taste right.' And the diver who lost a calf in the Red Sea attack seemed all the odder because the shark was 'outnumbered' by the group.

But from the shark's viewpoint, most creatures that school don't team up and fight predators far as I know (some animals do - sperm whales under orca attack, water buffalo, elephants).

Any thoughts on whether these 'bite and release' tactics might be intended to give time for blood lose to maybe kill the diver? Also, in their habitat, potential prey items wouldn't normally crawl out of the water (onto a boat, etc...)...maybe if the shark's willing to play a waiting game, infection may play a role? Or with a larger prey item like a human, perhaps blood might draw other sharks to assist in the kill (which would happen if our blood were like fish blood?)?

Basically, I'm asking if the oceanic white-tip sharks are instinctively employing a more complex kill strategy than some may be giving them credit for?

That's an interesting question and one I'll have to run up the ladder to some folks who actually are shark experts. The idea that oceanic whitetips might employ hit-and-run attacks to gradually wear down prey makes some sense. Similar behavior was observed off South Africa in 2017 with two white sharks working to take down a 7-meter humpback whale that was isolated and entangled in fishing gear but appeared otherwise uninjured - Humpback Whale Attacked by Great White Sharks - Baleines en direct

That said, after I watched that one video with the diver losing his calf, I had the feeling that particular shark in that particular circumstance was agitated and may just have hit its "eff this" point and chomped its way out of the group. Hard to say since the video cut out after the shark let go and we don't see if it hung around or bolted away.