The visitors were left stunned and angry when they found that the much-hyped giant whale shark was actually a robot in an aquarium in China.&nbsp;

This "deep-fake" incident happened at the Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen which had opened to the public on October 1 after undergoing a five-year renovation, reported Jam Press.

The aquarium had a week-long dry run and around 100,000 visitors came to the 645,000-square-foot ocean zoo. The visitors had to pay $40 to enter the wet wonderland.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/killer-sea-beasts-seen-indulging-in-cruel-act-near-california-coast-766778">Killer sea beasts seen indulging in 'cruel' act near California coast</a>

Visitors were looking forward to the star attraction of the theme park which was the whale shark – the largest fish in the world – believed to grow to 60 feet in length.

<h2>Visitors feel cheated, aquarium authorities claim 'were adhering to laws'</h2>

After the visitors realised that the regal sea beast was actually a robot, they felt cheated.&nbsp;

As the outrage widened, Xiaomeisha also had to face criticism online.

“The venue isn’t large enough, and even the whale shark is artificial. By 3 o’clock, people were already demanding refunds," said a user.

“The most disappointing part was the whale shark exhibit,” wrote another user on the social media platform&nbsp;Xiaohongshu.&nbsp;

“When I heard the name, I was full of anticipation, but when I arrived, I saw a mechanical whale shark. It’s not interesting at all," commented a third user.

Addressing the criticism, the representatives of Xiaomeisha said that the robo-shark — which had cost millions of Chinese yuan — was created to adhere to laws which ban the trade of whale sharks and was not aimed at “catfish” visitors.&nbsp;

“Even though it’s for the sake of animal protection, I’d rather they didn’t have one at all than show a fake one,” said a user.

“The fish care was not professional enough. I noticed that some of the fish in the tanks had white spots,” wrote another user.

“Most people wouldn’t notice, but anyone who’s kept tropical fish knows that’s white spot disease. Some of the fish didn’t appear to be in good health," a third user stated.

(With inputs from agencies)

The visitors were left stunned and angry when they found that the much-hyped giant whale shark was actually a robot in an aquarium in China. This "deep-fake" incident happened at the Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen which had opened to the public on October 1 after undergoing a five-year renovation, reported Jam Press.

The visitors were left stunned and angry when they found that the much-hyped giant whale shark was actually a robot in an aquarium in China. This "deep-fake" incident happened at the Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen which had opened to the public on October 1 after undergoing a five-year renovation, reported Jam Press. The aquarium had a week-long dry run and around 100,000 visitors came to the 645,000-square-foot ocean zoo. The visitors had to pay $40 to enter the wet wonderland. Also Read: Killer sea beasts seen indulging in 'cruel' act near California coast Visitors were looking forward to the star attraction of the theme park which was the whale shark – the largest fish in the world – believed to grow to 60 feet in length. Visitors feel cheated, aquarium authorities claim 'were adhering to laws' After the visitors realised that the regal sea beast was actually a robot, they felt cheated. As the outrage widened, Xiaomeisha also had to face criticism online. “The venue isn’t large enough, and even the whale shark is artificial. By 3 o’clock, people were already demanding refunds," said a user. “The most disappointing part was the whale shark exhibit,” wrote another user on the social media platform Xiaohongshu. “When I heard the name, I was full of anticipation, but when I arrived, I saw a mechanical whale shark. It’s not interesting at all," commented a third user. Addressing the criticism, the representatives of Xiaomeisha said that the robo-shark — which had cost millions of Chinese yuan — was created to adhere to laws which ban the trade of whale sharks and was not aimed at “catfish” visitors. “Even though it’s for the sake of animal protection, I’d rather they didn’t have one at all than show a fake one,” said a user. “The fish care was not professional enough. I noticed that some of the fish in the tanks had white spots,” wrote another user. “Most people wouldn’t notice, but anyone who’s kept tropical fish knows that’s white spot disease. Some of the fish didn’t appear to be in good health," a third user stated. (With inputs from agencies)

Not a whale shark but a robot shark leaves visitors fuming in China's aquarium

Nature is brutal. A gruesome, rare video captured recently is now going viral on the Internet. In it, a killer whale can be seen "slurping" the liver out of a live shark.

<h2>Gruesome scene</h2>

The gruesome video on YouTube shows the moment an orca tears into the stomach of a massive 30-foot (nine metres) long whale shark before removing its liver.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/move-over-blue-whale-scientists-discover-40-million-year-old-earths-biggest-animal-ever-621809">Not blue whale, this 40mn-year-old animal is largest ever to have lived on Earth</a>

In the video, other nearby orcas can be heard clicking excitedly in a frenzy as their fellow killer whale swims away from the now dead shark that sinks lifelessly to the depths of the ocean.

<h2>A matter of seconds</h2>

Talking to Live Science, James Moskito, CEO of the California-based ocean tour operator Ocean Safaris, who captured the video during an expedition to the Gulf of California, said: "The killer whales start coming in and next I know they're biting the bottom of it (the victim shark)".

"It's literally over in a matter of seconds," remarks Moskito, adding, "They came in, they bit the bottom of the whale shark. Looks like they slurped in the liver and then the whale shark just fell and descended down, with no movement — I'm assuming it was dead."&nbsp;

The video was captured back in April. You can watch it here&nbsp;— viewer discretion is advised:

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As per Moskito, he and his companions later saw the orca pod attack and kill another whale shark. He recalls that they saw a whale shark "just thrashing at the surface with a killer whale attached to it."

<h2>Why is the video rare?</h2>

While, earlier, scientists have seen instances of orcas attacking juvenile whale sharks — there's also filmed evidence — this footage, as per Live Science, may be the first known video of killer whales attacking an adult whale shark.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-confirm-jellyfish-who-existed-about-500-million-years-before-early-human-beings-621617">Scientists confirm jellyfish who existed about 500 million years before early human beings</a>

Whale Sharks are the biggest species of Shark on this planet and can grow up to 60 feet or 18 metres long. Adults of the species have few natural predators. However, juvenile calves have been known to fall prey to orcas and tiger sharks.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Nature is brutal. A gruesome, rare video captured recently is now going viral on the Internet. In it, a killer whale can be seen "slurping" the liver out of a live shark.

Nature is brutal. A gruesome, rare video captured recently is now going viral on the Internet. In it, a killer whale can be seen "slurping" the liver out of a live shark. Gruesome scene The gruesome video on YouTube shows the moment an orca tears into the stomach of a massive 30-foot (nine metres) long whale shark before removing its liver. Also read | Not blue whale, this 40mn-year-old animal is largest ever to have lived on Earth In the video, other nearby orcas can be heard clicking excitedly in a frenzy as their fellow killer whale swims away from the now dead shark that sinks lifelessly to the depths of the ocean. A matter of seconds Talking to Live Science, James Moskito, CEO of the California-based ocean tour operator Ocean Safaris, who captured the video during an expedition to the Gulf of California, said: "The killer whales start coming in and next I know they're biting the bottom of it (the victim shark)". "It's literally over in a matter of seconds," remarks Moskito, adding, "They came in, they bit the bottom of the whale shark. Looks like they slurped in the liver and then the whale shark just fell and descended down, with no movement — I'm assuming it was dead." The video was captured back in April. You can watch it here — viewer discretion is advised: × As per Moskito, he and his companions later saw the orca pod attack and kill another whale shark. He recalls that they saw a whale shark "just thrashing at the surface with a killer whale attached to it." Why is the video rare? While, earlier, scientists have seen instances of orcas attacking juvenile whale sharks — there's also filmed evidence — this footage, as per Live Science, may be the first known video of killer whales attacking an adult whale shark. Also read | Scientists confirm jellyfish who existed about 500 million years before early human beings Whale Sharks are the biggest species of Shark on this planet and can grow up to 60 feet or 18 metres long. Adults of the species have few natural predators. However, juvenile calves have been known to fall prey to orcas and tiger sharks. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Rare video captures killer whale tearing into massive shark, 'slurping' its liver. Watch

A whale shark can live up to 100 years, or even more, scientists have realised!

Researchers employed a technique unheard until now: using a Cold War bomb isotope.

By analysing and measuring the amount of Carbon-14, an isotope used in Cold War bombs, the scientists were able to ascertain the age.

So it goes something like this: The isotope was placed in a shark’s "hard parts" naturally due to its release in the atmosphere during the Cold War. Based on this, the age was decrypted.

The older the whale shark, the lesser Carbon-14 scientists were likely to find.

After collating the study, scientists realised that whale sharks can live for over a century.

During the arms race between 1955-1963, the use of atomic bombs doubled, and this Carbon-14 was then released into the atmosphere - twice the regular amount. This isotope was absorbed by every living being on the planet.

<h6><img alt="p" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b3b392fc-a307-4b6f-9473-b570035f2170" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%288%29_27.jpg" /> 
Indian residents stands next to a whale shark that washed ashore and was lifted out by a crane for inspection by officials at Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai on July 27, 2019 | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

It is used by archaeologists and historians to date ancient bones and artefacts.

The new study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, was headed by Dr Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Perth.

In conversation with BBC, he said "So any animal that was alive then incorporated that spike in Carbon-14 into their hard parts. That means we’ve got a time marker within the vertebrae that means we can work out the periodicity at which those isotopes decay".

However, this wasn’t easy, as whale sharks are endangered creatures, making it harder for scientists to even trace them.

Two dead specimens were held in Taiwan and Pakistan, where the tests were then conducted.

Even though it might be a stretch, Dr Meekan also believes that the sharks could go on living for as many as 150 years!

“The absolute longevity of these animals could be very, very old, possibly as much as 100-150 years old”, he told BBC.

“This has huge implications for the species. It suggests that these things are probably intensely vulnerable to over-harvesting”, he added.

As the largest fish in the world, whale sharks can weigh 20.6 tonnes (20,000&nbsp;kgs) and can grow up to 32 feet!

A whale shark can live up to 100 years, or even more, scientists have realised! Researchers employed a technique unheard until now: using a Cold War bomb isotope.

A whale shark can live up to 100 years, or even more, scientists have realised! Researchers employed a technique unheard until now: using a Cold War bomb isotope. By analysing and measuring the amount of Carbon-14, an isotope used in Cold War bombs, the scientists were able to ascertain the age. So it goes something like this: The isotope was placed in a shark’s "hard parts" naturally due to its release in the atmosphere during the Cold War. Based on this, the age was decrypted. The older the whale shark, the lesser Carbon-14 scientists were likely to find. After collating the study, scientists realised that whale sharks can live for over a century. During the arms race between 1955-1963, the use of atomic bombs doubled, and this Carbon-14 was then released into the atmosphere - twice the regular amount. This isotope was absorbed by every living being on the planet. Indian residents stands next to a whale shark that washed ashore and was lifted out by a crane for inspection by officials at Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai on July 27, 2019 | AFP It is used by archaeologists and historians to date ancient bones and artefacts. The new study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, was headed by Dr Mark Meekan from the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Perth. In conversation with BBC, he said "So any animal that was alive then incorporated that spike in Carbon-14 into their hard parts. That means we’ve got a time marker within the vertebrae that means we can work out the periodicity at which those isotopes decay". However, this wasn’t easy, as whale sharks are endangered creatures, making it harder for scientists to even trace them. Two dead specimens were held in Taiwan and Pakistan, where the tests were then conducted. Even though it might be a stretch, Dr Meekan also believes that the sharks could go on living for as many as 150 years! “The absolute longevity of these animals could be very, very old, possibly as much as 100-150 years old”, he told BBC. “This has huge implications for the species. It suggests that these things are probably intensely vulnerable to over-harvesting”, he added. As the largest fish in the world, whale sharks can weigh 20.6 tonnes (20,000 kgs) and can grow up to 32 feet!

Cold war bombs help scientists discover whale sharks can live up to a century!

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