An Edinburgh schoolboy is recovering after being attacked by a Shark in a harbour on Bimini Island in the Bahamas on Thursday 5 April 2018. Shane McConnell, 12, was visiting the island with his family when he slipped and fell into the water close to the animal, believed to have been a Bull Shark, Carcharhinus leucas, about two metres in length, which bit him once on the feet before retreating. McConnell was able to pull himself out of the water using a ladder on the side of the harbour, and received treatment in a local hospital. It is thought that his injuries were minimised by the tough neoprene diving shoes he was wearing, though these did not survive the attack.
Shane McConnell, 12, from Edinburgh, being treated in a Bahamas hospital after being bitten by a Bull Shark. 7News.
Despite their fearsome reputation,
attacks by Sharks
are relatively rare. Most attacks on Humans by Sharks are
thought to be mistakes, made by species that feed principally on Marine Mammals
(which we superficially resemble when we enter the water), gaining the
majority of their nutrition from the thick adipose (fat) layers of these
animals (which we lack). Due to this, when Sharks do attack Humans
these attacks are often broken off without the victim being consumed.
Such attacks frequently result in severe injuries, but are seldom
immediately fatal, with victims likely to survive if they receive
immediate medical attention.
Damage to Shane McConnell's foot received in a Shark attack on Bimini Island on 5 April 2018. The damage is thought to have been minimised by the tough neoprene shoes he was wearing. Edinburgh Evening News.
Bull Sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, are a form of Requiem Shark, Carcharhinidae, reaching about four metres in length at their largest. They have a reputation for aggressive behaviour, and are one of the species most prone to attacking Humans, though this is not because they are more hostile towards us than other Shark species, but because they inhabit environments where they are more likely to encounter us, favouring shallow inshore waters, and sometimes entering freshwater systems, which most Sharks shun (Bull Sharks have been encountered in the Mississippi River as far inland as southern Illinois). These Sharks are also territorial, and may lash out if they feel their territory is being invaded.
A Bull Shark, Carcharhinus leucas. Sharkopedia/Discovery.
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Shane McConnell
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Shane McConnell
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Shane McConnell
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Shane McConnell
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Shane McConnell
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
Read more at: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/edinburgh-boy-survives-jaws-style-shark-attack-thanks-to-rubber-shoes-1-4724151
