Sometimes the prey becomes the predator—especially when there’s a hungry grouper involved.
That dynamic played out most dramatically last week in Everglades City when a Goliath grouper ate a reef shark in one bite—and it was all caught on video.
In the video released by Everglades Fishing Company, the shark is hooked on a fishing line, belly up in the water. A shadow appears as the 3-pound shark is being reeled in, then all of the sudden, the catch is devoured by a massive 500-pound Goliath grouper.
“That same grouper later swallowed a stingray — or manta ray,” said Michelle Wheeler of Everglades Fishing Company to Fox News. “[Goliath groupers] have become a nuisance, according to a lot of fishermen. They’re eating everything.” The Fiat-sized fish eventually spit the shark back out.
In the state of Florida, Goliath groupers are considered a protected species, therefore it’s illegal to catch them. If they are accidentally caught on a fishing line, they must be returned to the ocean immediately, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.