Caught on camera: Hammerhead tries to eat small blacktip shark off Bonita Beach

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BONITA BEACH, Fla.- Hammerhead sharks are making a splash in Southwest Florida waters.

A video of a hammerhead trying to eat another, smaller shark right in front of some amazed boaters off of Bonita Beach has captivated people on the WINK News Facebook page.

“Look at the size of that thing!”

A 6 foot hammerhead shark was caught on video, circling a group of boaters Tuesday about 15 miles off Bonita Beach.

“It’s intentions quickly become clear when it attacks a smaller blacktip shark caught on the fisherman’s line.

“It’s not uncommon to see sharks eating smaller sharks too, I’ve seen that,” said Captain Jeff Littlejohn. “If they see it’s gonna be an easy meal they will definitely take it.”

Littlejohn operates a charter fishing company in south Fort Myers. He says he catches and releases a few hammerheads every year.

Two weeks ago, he caught one right around the same area off Bonita Beach.

“Sharks are pretty plentiful right now, especially the hammerheads around that area, bout 5 or 6 foot, the average,” said Littlejohn.

The newest video comes just two days after a different viewer sent WINK News a video of a huge, unknown shark swimming just feet from the Bonita Beach shoreline.

Biologists tell WINK News hammerheads are in Southwest Florida waters year round, but pose a “low risk” to public safety.

“I think unless you have some kind of bait on you, or you’re bleeding or you’re giving them some reason to come up and check you out, I think you’re pretty safe,” said Littlejohn.

A lot of people think hammerheads migrate to Southwest Florida during tarpon season for food, but biologists tell WINK News it doesn’t have a significant impact on their migration.

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