A shark thought to be the largest Great White ever captured on camera has been filmed in Mexico.

The gigantic shark is nearly 20 feet long and has been given the nickname 'Deep Blue'.

The massive beast was filmed nearly three years ago by shark conservationist Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, but it has since been broadcast as part of Nat Geo Wild's 'Shark Week' programming.

Advert

Deep Blue was pregnant at the time as well, so she looks even bigger than she actually would do normally.

In the video, which was shot under the seas of Mexico's Baha California peninsula, near to Guadalupe Island, shows the humungous apex predator swimming around a shark cage.

Credit: Mauricio Hoyos Padilla

The diver in the cage pushes the shark away - which is a pretty ballsy move - before she loses interest and swims off.

Advert

Great White sharks can live for up to 70 years, although this varies between male and female sharks. Deep Blue is thought to be about 50 years old, which could be why she is so vast.

According to Gavin Naylor, who works for the Florida Programme for Shark Research, reckons that because she is an older animal, she has grown to be so huge.

Naylor told Fox News: "It's an older animal and when you look at the distribution of any animal, it's the larger animals that are older."

However, even a shark this size isn't immune to attack. Great White sharks have been taken out by killer whales in the seas around the western coast of the American continent before, and Naylor reckons that - even considering Deep Blue's size - a group of Orcas who set their mind to it could kill her.

Advert

Credit: Mauricio Hoyos Padilla

"Orcas are very smart, and they work together - they're pack hunters," Naylor added.

There have been a lot of stories in the news recently about sharks being spotted near humans. Naylor thinks that this is simply down to the fact that it is the summertime and there are more people in the water, as well as more sharks in the areas that people are in.

He continued: "Shark bites are almost the consequence of density of humans in the water and density of sharks in the water,

Advert

"It's only in circumstances when people want to be in the water during the summer and sharks are following their feed when an accidental bite happens."

There's the real answer - if you want to avoid incurring the wrath of a 20-foot-long, pregnant great white shark, just stay the hell out of the water.