hammerhead shark

Meanwhile in Florida: Huge Pregnant Hammerhead Shark Washes Ashore (Jaws, Did You Have Something to Do With This?)

If you thought Jaws was breathtaking, you haven’t seen the latest sea creature to wash ashore in Florida. Beach-goers, wildlife enthusiasts, and shark enthusiasts were all wowed after an 11-foot, 500-pound pregnant female hammerhead washed ashore on Pompano Beach in Southeast Florida recently.

“This is a pretty rare event,” Hannah Medd, founder of the American Shark Conservancy, told CNN. “We get a call for maybe one to four a year that have washed back up.”

Sadly, the shark was dead when it came onto the shore. It may have died due to trauma from a catch-and-release incident, as suspected from a hook that was in its mouth. The shark likely went into shock before perishing.

“There is some fishing line in her gills, and from earlier pictures, there was a large hook in the side of her mouth, which indicates she was probably involved in fishing,” Medd told Local 10 News. “It [the death] may have to do with post-release mortality, which means the species, in particular, gets a little stressed out when it’s caught, it fights really hard.”

Even sadder, catch-and-release is legal in Florida, so this probably won’t be the last time such a sea-themed tragedy occurs.

The shark was so huge, a construction crew was called to remove the mama with a tractor. Gawkers were both bewildered and bummed at the sight of the massive creature on the sandy shore.

“You never want to see an animal this big laying on the beach,” resident Kevin Nosal said. “It’s a female, so it’s always sad when a female passes.”

We can’t help but wonder: who’s the shark daddy that got this girl into this mess? Is it just us or does this situation seems to have Jaws written all over it?

Cover Photo: YouTube
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