Shocking photos showing shark choking on turtle go viral

Warning: Graphic

Shocking photos showing a shark choking on a turtle have gone viral on social media.

The photos, doing the rounds on Facebook, were taken in Japan, and originally posted by Greg Vella on April 20, in a group for fishers.

The images shocked social media users. Photo / Facebook

"I was out commercial 'ken ken' style fishing for tuna (Japan, Pacific Ocean side) when I heard chatter on the radio that there was a white shark swimming around with a big sea turtle in is mouth. People started to joke about it, so I did not pay it any more attention," he wrote alongside the pictures.

"Then next day, it was found dead, near the bait receivers, tangled in some netting. The captains I interviewed who saw the mighty shark the day before, said it looked close to death, as it could not dislodge the giant turtle.

None of the animals could be saved. Photo / Facebook

"The commercial guys were bummed, as white sharks do not bother their commercial fishing, and most certainly do bother the things that eat our catch," he added.

According to Vella, the shark weighed 4500 pounds (just over 2000kg).

The photos quickly spread across social media, with thousands of likes and shares in just a few hours.