Believing a shark attack was occurring in the surf just feet from shore, beachgoers in Brazil screamed in terror with many quickly fleeing the darkening water as dorsal fins and huge tails thrashed about nearby.
The chaotic scene showing panicked swimmers, very much reminiscent of the horror film Jaws, was captured in video on Dec. 31 at Prainha Beach in Arraial do Cabo.
But it wasn’t a shark attack that churned up the sand on the seafloor, giving the appearance of blood in the water, it was a pod of beached whales, as reported by the Mirror.
The footage was posted on Vimeo.
At first it was speculated that the species in the footage was probably dwarf whales or harmless hourglass dolphins. But later, officials confirmed the species were toothed whales (Odontoceti).
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When officials arrived to inspect the beach, they did not find any beached whales, surmising that the sea creatures likely managed to swim back out to sea.
Some beachgoers appeared to be trying to help the stranded marine mammals, but it was unclear if they succeeded or the whales left on their own.
“In these cases, the most advisable thing is to wait for the arrival of specialized teams to help the animal,” an Environment Foundation spokesperson stated.
Photos courtesy of News X.
