Sciency Thoughts: Carcharhiinindae

Showing posts with label Carcharhiinindae. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Teenager bitten by Shark off Florida beach.

A teenager was bitten by a Shark while bathing off Cocoa Beach in Brevard County, Florida, on Saturday 26 May 2018. Cody High, 15, from San Angelo, Texas, was bitten on the lower calf by a Bull Shark, Carcharhinus leucas, about two metres in length, slightly after 5.00 pm local time on a section of beach without lifeguards or Shark spotters. He underwent surgery at the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, where he was retained for several days after the incident. His family are attempting to cover the cost of his treatment via a GoFundMe Page.

Cody High, 15, from San Angelo, Texas, recovering in hospital after being bitten by a Bull Shark off Cocoa Beach, Florida, on 26 May 2018. The Man Post.

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.

A Bull Shark, Carcharhinus leucas. Sharkopedia/Discovery.

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.

Sunday, 15 April 2018

Edinburgh schoolboy attacked by Shark in Bahamas.

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.

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.

A Bull Shark, Carcharhinus leucas. Sharkopedia/Discovery.

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

British tourist attacked by Shark while snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands.

A British tourist has suffered severe damage to his right leg after being bitten by a Shark while snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands. London-based businessman Andrew Phipps Newman, 45, originally from South Africa, suffered a broken bone and several severed ligaments after the Shark seized him by one foot off Santa Fe Island. The animal broke off its attack after being punched repeatedly on the nose, allowing Mr Phipps Newman to be pulled from the water into a boat, where he was treated by a doctor, Kathryn Gilbert, 27, also on holiday from the UK, during a three hour trip to the nearest hospital.

British tourist Andrew Phipps Newman recovering after being bitten by a Shark in the Galapagos Islands. Andrew Newman.

The attack is thought to have been carried out by a Galapagos Shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, a large species of Requiem Shark, Carcharhinidae, which, despite its name, is found around tropical island and reefs in all the world's oceans. Galapagos Sharks typically feed on small Fish and Cephalopods (Squid and Octopus), but larger members of the species can be more adventurous, and will attack other Sharks and Marine Mammals. Shark attacks on Humans are extremely rare, with only eight such events recorded in Ecuadorian waters since records began in 1952.