Watch as Nearly 50 Sharks Feast on Dead Humpback Whale in Feeding Frenzy

A huge group of tiger sharks has been filmed devouring a whale carcass in a feeding frenzy in the ocean off Australia.

The incredible video was captured off the coast of Hervey Bay in Queensland, about 150 miles north of Brisbane, after a drone caught sight of the action.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Science then attended the scene, posting a clip of the carnage to social media.

"We are reminding people to stay away from stranded or deceased marine animals after QPWS [Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service] rangers captured footage of about 50 tiger sharks feeding on the remains of a humpback whale off the coast of Hervey Bay," they captioned the video on Twitter.

In a Queensland Department of Environment and Science statement, Senior Ranger Daniel Clifton explained how dead whales are a major food source for marine carnivores, providing a glut of fat and proteins to the marine food web.

"Where there are dead whales, there are likely sharks nearby and this vision clearly shows why this is the case," Clifton said.

"The death of one whale, although sad, creates a life source for many other scavenging animals including fish, sharks and other marine life. We're fortunate here in the Great Sandy Marine Park that we can experience these natural processes first-hand."

Dead whales will eventually sink to the ocean floor in what is known as a whale fall, and a vast range of scavenging species will subsist on the body for many months.

This humpback is thought to have died from natural causes, as a result of sickness, rather than having been hunted by the sharks.

"We had been getting images of that whale moving down the coast the last couple of days," Clifton told ABC News Australia. "I suspect it was sick."

"It wasn't unexpected to see that whale wash up."

This unfortunate whale was the fifth to have died in the area in the past week, with two other humpbacks and two Bryde's whales being found dead or becoming stranded on beaches.

While this may seem like a high number of whales to die in such a short period of time, Clifton says it's a sign of whales doing better than ever.

"This an inevitable and natural by-product of this conservation success," he said in the statement.

Barry McGovern, a researcher associate at Pacific Whale Foundation, told ABC News Australia that more whales will naturally be found dead as a result of increasing numbers, thanks to conservation.

"As the population grows and continues to recover from whaling numbers, we're probably going to see more strandings as we've got more whales," he said.

"If you've got more whales, you're going to see more whale deaths, unfortunately."

Clifton also warned people to steer well clear of any dead marine animals that wash up on the shallow of beaches for the same reason: there may be plenty of sharks nearby.

"That is why we ask people to keep their distance from dead whales that wash up near the shore," he said in the statement. "Marine animals can also carry zoonotic diseases, so you should never touch them."

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about whales? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.