VIDEO: Sharks Attack Injured Dolphin On LBI

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, NJ — Beachgoers at Brant Beach on Long Beach Island were reportedly ordered out of the water earlier this week when circling sharks ate a sick, bleeding dolphin in the water.

The incident, which took place at about 7 a.m. Thursday morning, was captured on video. (See below). The dolphin may have been injured by a boat propeller, although that has not been confirmed, The Daily Voice reports.

Dolphins and sharks are both carnivores and tend to hunt in the same areas, according to Live Science. Encounters between the species are rare, but do happen. Dolphins have been known to antagonize sharks on occasion.

Sharks are also out there to clean the ocean, Marine Mammal Stranding Center Executive Director Robert Schoelkopf told nj.com. Lifeguards ordered the beach to be cleared because people in the area were in danger, he said. Sharks are drawn to blood in the water, but might not be able to tell the difference between people and sharks when that much blood is involved.

Researchers searched the shoreline to find remnants of the dolphin, but were unable to find any, he said.