It's just a flesh wound! Extraordinary pictures show the moment a plucky seal escaped the jaws of a great white shark - but not before having a chunk torn out
- Fur seal was leaving island off South African coast to hunt for food
- But nearly ended up being dinner itself after great white shark attacked
- Managed to wriggle free of beast's jaws but was left with terrifying wound
- Images were captured by British underwater photographer Dan Callister
Lying on a rock with a gaping hole in its back, this is the horrific injury sustained by a fur seal off the coast of South Africa after it narrowly avoided by eaten by a shark.
The young seal was just heading out to sea to hunt when suddenly a great white lunged from beneath the waves, snapping at its tail with its jaws.
The predator, which can weight more than 2,000lbs, momentarily caught the seal in its rows of razor-sharp teeth, but the small creature managed to wriggle free.
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Tis but a scratch: This nimble seal managed to escape being eaten by a great white shark, but was left with this horrific wound in its tail after being stripped of a few pounds of blubber
Moments from death: This is the moment the seal narrowly avoided becoming dinner after a great white shark lunged from beneath the waves, snapping its jaws at the seal's tail
However, it was left with a terrible reminder of its close encounter, as a large chunk of blubber was torn from its tail.
The tense scene was captured by British underwater photographer Dan Callister, 39, while photographing wildlife in the bay, which is home to approximately 64,000 seals.
Dan, from North Wales, said: 'We were tracking a young Cape Fur seal pup that was heading out to sea, when from nowhere a great white shark breached the water baring its teeth.
'It took a large piece of flesh and within a second the shark was gone.
Easy prey: The dramatic scene was captured by British photographer Dan Callister near Seal Island (pictured) which is home to hundreds of seals, and dozens of great whites which hunt them
Vicious: Great whites attack seals from below, swimming up at them with great speed, attempting to catch them in their jaws or knock them senseless before devouring them
'Incredibly the plucky seal survived the brush with death, escaping the jaws and making it back to Seal Island minus a few pounds of blubber.
'Seals at this age are a prime target for white sharks because they are rich in blubber content.'
The island - just a few miles from Cape Town - derives its name from the large number of seals that inhabit the bay.
Home to approximately 15 to 25 great whites, the feeding area, known by locals as the 'Ring Of Death', is a popular location for hungry sharks to hunt.
Mr Callister said young seals are a prime target for sharks, being inexperienced swimmers and rich with blubber which contains a large amount of energy
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