See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:41 BST, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 00:44 BST, 28 May 2026
A photographer has captured the incredible moment a bait ball of sardines morphed into a terrifying shape. Ben Yavar was diving off the coast of Moalboal in the Philippines when he came across the school of fish. Moving towards it, he pulled out his camera under water and began taking photos of the shimmering mass of aquatic life. In one eerie photo, the sardines briefly formed into what appears to be a grinning skull. The fish formed two hollowed eyes that were seen above a row of teeth. The photo was taken in a part of the world where millions of sardines gather in huge, synchronised balls just a few metres from shore. Unlike other migratory runs sardines make, these huge conglomerations are seen every day. But Ben described the rare moment he captured on his camera as one of those where 'the ocean decides to shapeshift.' The school of fish formed an eerie-looking skull for a brief moment that was captured by photographer Ben Yavar
