PHOTO: First ever sighting of a newborn great white shark off the coast of California

The first sighting of a newborn great white shark has been revealed in a new image that captured a five-foot-long, all-white predator swimming along the California coast.

The newborn great white shark was thought to be just hours old when scientists spotted it just 300 meters off Santa Barbara beach.

Researchers from the University of California – Riverside captured the astonishing photo, revealing that the newborn was shedding its embryonic layer.

Where great white sharks give birth has always been a mystery as scientists have been unable to pinpoint their location, but on July 9, 2023, luck smiled on two filmmakers who scoured the area for sharks.

“The place where white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark science,” says wildlife filmmaker Carols Gauna, who took the photos with UC Riverside PhD student Phillip Sternes.

'No one has ever been able to determine where they were born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive.

'Dead white sharks have been found in deceased pregnant mothers. But nothing like this.”

Gauna has been observing the Santa Barbara coast for years and likely filming pregnant great white sharks, but while the area has been suggested as a possible birthplace, this is the first time there has been evidence.

The two filmmakers acknowledged that the shark's shedding could be a skin condition, but they do not believe this to be the case as it has not previously been reported for this type of shark.

“If that's what we saw, then that too is monumental because no such condition has ever been reported for these sharks,” Gauna said.

However, the filmmakers believe the pup has secreted embryonic fluid, which is more likely because it is only a few hours old.

Gauna said he saw three pregnant great white sharks in the area in the days leading up to filming the newborn pup.

“I filmed three very large sharks in this particular location the days before that looked pregnant,” Gauna said.

'On this day one of them dived down, and not long after this all-white shark appeared.

'It's not hard to deduce where the baby came from.

“This could be the first evidence that we have a pup in the wild, making this a definitive birthplace.”

If the site is indeed a breeding ground, action may be needed to conserve and protect the species, which was listed internationally as endangered in 2006.

Great white sharks live worldwide, but their species is threatened by poaching and fishing.

Although their population is difficult to track, the species has declined by about 80 percent in North America, prompting the U.S. to introduce laws to protect the great white shark.

Great white sharks are the most studied shark species in the world, and a report from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) shows that two-thirds of the species are threatened with extinction.

“If we don't act, it will be too late,” Nick Dulvy, a biologist and co-author of a 2021 study on global shark decline, told CNN last year.

He added: 'It's much worse than other animal populations we've looked at.'

What makes the great white shark unique is their slow reproduction rate, as they can take decades to reach breeding age, have pregnancies that can last up to three years and produce small litters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Since the laws were first implemented in the 1990s, the population of great white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean has increased and may no longer be at risk of becoming endangered in U.S. waters, NOAA reported.

Speaking about the newborn great white, Sternes said: 'Further research is needed to confirm that these waters are indeed a great white breeding ground.

“But if so, we want lawmakers to step in and protect these waters to help white sharks thrive.”