Mike Heithaus

Discover what happens when two of the deadliest predators face each other.

To find out why sharks are drawn to Hawaii’s volcanoes, biologists Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Frances Farabaugh free dive with one of the most dangerous sharks: the tiger shark.

All across YouTube, viral videos abound of great whites and other sharks attacking boats with a ferocity and anger that has never been seen before. The question is, why? Is this simply a case of more people having cameras to video the behavior, or is something else happening? Dr. Mike Heithaus and Ph.D. candidate Sara Casareto set out to investigate what’s causing this clash between sharks and boats.

In Florida, a rare event between top ocean predators was captured on video: bull sharks attacking a great hammerhead. Dr. Heithaus and a team of shark experts launch an investigation pinning one against the other. They put experiments to the test to see what happens when these top predators come head-to-head.

The scientific community is divided as to whether dolphins or whales will deliberately save a person from a shark attack. But the people who have lived through these terrifying encounters don’t doubt what happened.

In the Bahamas, more than 30% of dolphins have shark-bite scars. With a never-before-seen non-toxic gel bite pad and life-sized dolphin decoy, Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Valeria Paz collect bite impressions from three shark species that might be the predators. Bites from bull sharks, tiger sharks and great hammerheads — up to 14 feet long — are compared to scars photographed on dolphins.

Get a truly wild point of view as you enter the secret world of ferocious predators. Witness never before seen perspectives as Crittercam, National Geographic's revolutionary camera technology, goes where no human is safe. Crash through the bush with Alaska Grizzly Bears, swim alongside 16 massive humpback whales, hunt in the African plains with the lion that bounds after its zebra prey, and sneak a peek into the elusive life of an ordinary household cat. With cameras strapped on their backs, these animals are uninhibited and natural in their private behaviours.