Fisherman's 'crazy' footage of unusual moment in Aussie bay: 'Loch Ness monster'
Footage of a speedy creature cruising around an Aussie bay last week was impressive enough to stun even a seasoned fisherman, with the animal dubbed the 'Loch Ness Monster' for not quite breaking the water surface and revealing itself to those on land.
Jayden Gane works on fish farms based in Tasmania's south and told Yahoo News he witnesses marine life almost every day in the bay near his family's holiday home. However, he admits the animal's sheer speed was "pretty crazy" to see up close.
"I was just coming out of the shack and getting into the car and [I saw] a bit of commotion going on. Down here at Southport, there's always something different in the bay," he said, explaining he regularly catches sight of whales and dolphins.
"You quite often see stingrays in the shallows speeding as well, scooting about and making a bit of a splash. So it was just sort of, look out, what do we got today?"
Gane told Yahoo he was surprised to glance up and see the animal — later revealed to be a seal — moving so fast so close to the shore. He said it appeared to be frantically hunting its next meal.
"In that final little last turn [in the video] that he does, you can actually see a few fish sort of break the surface trying to get into the shallower water again... so I knew he was feeding," he said, describing the moment as "unusual".
Jayden explained seals often cause trouble for commercial and recreational fisherman alike as they hang on their coattails to snatch away catches for themselves.
"They're really, really quite cheeky, almost like a dog. They're pretty much a water dog," he said, noting they frequently visit his workplace. "Fishing-wise, seals are a bit of the worst enemy because they take your fish... they move quite quickly."
It's believed the seal in the video is an Australian fur seal — with the animals capable of cruising along at a speed of 9 km/h, and even faster during short bursts. This is twice as fast as an Olympic swimmer, according to Philip Island Nature parks.
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Not only can the seal species outcompete our fastest swimmers, but they can also scoot quickly on land and outrun a human.
Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta confirmed to Yahoo the seal in the video is definitely "foraging" and said it's a great demonstration of the animal's speed.
"The footage shows just how fast these marine mammals are in the water... fur seals are super fast in the water and can also easily outrun a human on land," she said.
"It's always so wonderful to see marine life showing their natural behaviours, and in this case, it was all caught on camera. The footage demonstrates how fast these animals can move when chasing food."
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