Novel insights into the hunting behaviour of the winghead shark (Eusphyra blochii) from an aerial observation

Direct records of hunting behaviour in hammerhead sharks are limited, particularly for the Critically Endangered winghead shark (Eusphyra blochii). We report on an opportunistic drone-based observation of a winghead shark pursuing and consuming a teleost fish at Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia. During the interaction, the shark alternated between rapid turning manoeuvres and directed pursuit while repeatedly re-establishing proximity to its prey following attempted escapes. As the encounter progressed, the shark maintained a close-range pursuit, including repeated dorsoventral adjustments of the cephalofoil in response to vertical prey movements, and rapid, sharp turns before ultimately capturing and consuming the fish. These observations are consistent with hypotheses that the expanded cephalofoil of winghead sharks enhances manoeuvrability and facilitates pursuit of agile teleost prey.