The dramatic ocean saga that led to three men being rescued this week from a sinking inflatable catamaran off the Australian coast has been pinned on an unusual culprit: a small, cigar-shaped shark that leaves such perfectly round wounds it’s called the cookiecutter.
The sailors, two Russians and one French national, were pulled from the sea on Wednesday on their way to the northeastern Australian city of Cairns from the remote Pacific nation Vanuatu, authorities said. In an Instagram post after the rescue, the group said the attacks were by cookiecutter sharks, which damaged the rear left balloon of the boat on Monday and left it “completely submerged underwater.
The cookiecutter, also known as the cigar shark, is more than 10 times smaller than a great white, measuring between 1 to 1.4 feet on average. Despite its small size, the cookiecutter has an appetite for large prey – usually targeting seals, whales and dolphins, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Its unique feeding method is how it got its name: first, the shark entices prey with its glowing underside, which can deceptively look like small fish in the deep ocean.
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