As Thanksgiving approaches, white sharks are still trying to have a feast of their own in the chilly waters. Shark researchers have seen a higher number of seals with shark bites along the Massachusetts South Shore this fall.

Not all of the seals were fatally injured by the shark attacks.

Sometimes white sharks will intentionally “bite and spit” seals, which allows them to avoid being injured by the seal’s teeth and claws while they wait nearby for the prey to bleed out, said New England Aquarium shark scientist John Chisholm.

Other times, sharks will simply take an “investigatory bite” to decide if the prey is worth pursuing. In both cases, seals often survive these encounters.