Viral video of 20-foot shark in Rhode Island invites "Jaws" comparisons
Video of a huge shark swimming around Rhode Island's Block Island on Memorial Day is going viral.
The video taken by Jen Seebeck and posted on the Atlantic Shark Institute's social media pages has already been viewed more than 4 million times on Instagram and Facebook.
"Clearly a very large shark and reminiscent of a scene from Jaws on this 50th anniversary of the film," the organization said.
Basking shark sighting in Rhode Island
Unlike the titular creature in "Jaws," this shark is no bloodthirsty great white. Atlantic Shark Institute executive director Jon Dodd says this is a basking shark that appears to be about 20 feet long with a large dorsal fin. Basking sharks are the second-largest fish species after the whale shark, according to the New England Aquarium, and they eat plankton.
"They are harmless filter-feeders but that wouldn't matter much if you were in the water when one came cruising by!" Dodd tells WBZ-TV.
The two species are often mistaken for one another, but the dorsal fin of the basking shark is more rounded while a great white has a pointed fin.
The sighting in Great Salt Pond had diners at Dead Eye Dick's buzzing.
"There's a shark in the pond!" one person with a distinctive New England accent can be heard saying
Dodd says it appears the shark likely entered the pond by accident and has since left the area.
"It is the first shark that has entered the pond this season, but likely not the last!" Dodd said.
