Animated movies with various sea creatures often show different species swimming together in harmony, or racing with one another. Such a scenario is improbable, if not outright impossible in real life. But one lucky Florida man caught a rare moment on camera as he filmed a bull shark and a mighty alligator swimming side by side. Gray Vinson was around the Indian River Lagoon in Miami when he spotted the two sea-creatures seemingly race side-by-side. He also filmed a manatee separately, which was likely where the two predatory sea animals were headed.
In an interview with NBC Miami, Vinson talked about this one in a million incidence. “Bull sharks and gators have been spotted before but to my knowledge this is the first time together,” he told the news portal. Vinson is a native of Vero Beach and says he grew up “swimming and boating around the river.” He was walking on a bridge above the river when he spotted the rare sight and decided to film it.
He shared the video on his Facebook page, writing “It’s not every day you see a bull shark and a gator swimming together in the Indian River. I’m not so sure how the manatee made out.”
The fast-swimming alligator is very clearly visible in the video, just under the surface of the clear water. As for the bull shark, you might have to look a little more attentively but it is right beside the alligator.
Watch the video here:
He also shared a six-second clip of a manatee hiding in the water, near the shore, around some trees. The clip, just like the caption, doesn’t clarify whether the predators reached the prey. But NBC reports the animals escaped unscathed.
The fascinating post has over 1,000 shares so far. “Only in Florida would you ever see a shark and alligator chillin,” joked one user while another said, “They were racing.”
According to the University of Florida, Indian River Lagoon is a bull shark nursery. Once they are grown (around 9-years-old) they move on to adult habitat offshore.