A shark identified as a baby gummy was spotted in the shallows of Fishermans Beach off the coast of Torquay in Victoria, Australia.
What's happening?
Gemma Morganti posted footage of the shark to social media, according to the Geelong Advertiser.
"It's swam off now but just keep in mind," she wrote. "While this is obviously the shark's domain, it's another reminder to stay safe and water-wise."
While there were no immediate reports of close encounters, the local news outlet noted that children were playing in the water at the time, underscoring the need to take precautions in the wake of shark sightings.
A November report from the Sydney Morning Herald noted that rising global temperatures have shifted the travel patterns of some sharks off the Australian coast, with the country having seen increases in shark-attack-related deaths.
Why is this concerning?
While the shark sighting in Torquay seemed to result in no adverse events, it could have been driven by them. With the Geelong Advertiser reporting that locals said it was the third such sighting in a matter of days, it could be part of a wider trend, fueled by pollution and warming ocean waters.
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According to the Morning Herald, rising temperatures, induced by human activity, are "sending bull sharks further south to Sydney and white sharks to Victoria and Tasmania," possibly contributing to a higher number of deadly attacks in recent years.
While the Herald focused on human deaths, human-wildlife encounters can also pose threats to animals, who may be accidentally injured or intentionally killed in response.
What can be done?
The Geelong Advertiser encouraged beachgoers to "swim with a friend or family member, and avoid swimming after rain or at dusk or dawn" to lower the risks associated with meeting a shark in a dangerous encounter.
In the bigger picture, though, while there may always be some chance of sharing swimming waters with marine predators, addressing the underlying causes of rising temperatures — by transitioning away from gas-powered cars and toward cleaner energy sources, for example — could help mitigate their effects on shark ranges and behaviors.
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Definitely 👍 The Sydney Morning Herald also noted that warmer weather may be leading more people to swim across the seasons, which could additionally increase the risk of human-wildlife encounters.
"With climate change, you can swim off Sydney pretty much all year round now," Culum Brown, a professor and shark expert at Macquarie University, told the outlet, "so there are more people in the water."
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