Dead on beach: Jaws
Body of 13-foot, 2-inch great white shark found on Morris Island
provided
Jon Geddings, a fisheries scientist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, examines the 13-foot, 2-inch female great white shark that was discovered washed ashore on Morris Island last week.
Previous stories
Man's condition not serious after shark bite, EMS says, published 07/12/08
Man reports shark bite on Isle of Palms; hand injured, published 06/27/08
The body of a great white shark, one of the ocean's rarest and most powerful apex predators, was discovered last week washed ashore on Morris Island.
What killed the 13-foot, 2-inch female shark remains a mystery, though biologists are hoping that examination of tissue samples might shed some light on how the animal wound up dead on the beach, said Bryan Frazier, biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
The shark did not appear to have suffered any fishing-related wounds, nor had it suffered any obvious forms of trauma, Frazier said. And though enormous by most standards, the fish actually was still quite young, at an estimated 10 to 13 years old, Frazier said.
Great whites don't mature sexually until they reach about 14 1/2 feet in length, he added. They can reach a length of more than 20 feet.
A visitor spotted the dead shark about a mile from the lighthouse on Morris Island, an uninhabited barrier island near Charleston. He reported the find to a marine mammal stranding hotline, which contacted DNR officials.
Searching the shoreline by boat, DNR fisheries scientists Josh Loefer and Jon Geddings spotted the carcass Nov. 18 but could not land on the beach due to heavy surf. On Thursday, they were able to make landfall and began preliminary examinations.
Loefer said the shark seemed in "pristine condition, a perfectly healthy shark, inside and out, lying dead on the beach."
Before leaving the site, the scientists collected tissue samples, pieces of its vertebrae and the animal's entire head.
After being delayed by bad weather, the pair returned Monday and performed a more thorough necropsy on the shark, including an examination of its stomach contents.
The shark's stomach was virtually empty, though the animal's strong digestive process could have removed signs of recent feeding.
The stomach did contain some scales that appeared to be from red drum. Large red drum, also known as spot-tail bass, "are congregated offshore this time of year," Frazier said. "So it could very well have been feeding on those."
Frazier, whose area of expertise includes shallow-water shark species and red drum, said the reasons behind the great white's stranding might never be known.
It's possible the shark died of starvation or illness while well offshore, and its carcass simply drifted up onto the beach, he said.
"Or it could have possibly gotten up in shallow water and not gotten out," Frazier said. "It's hard to say.
"As far as we know, there wasn't anything that would have pointed to any one cause," he said.
Tissue samples from the shark are being sent to labs across the country, where analysis could shed light on the shark's feeding habits, overall health and the amount of toxins accumulated in its system.
For marine scientists such as Loefer, the chance to examine such a well-preserved great white might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Though the South Carolina coast is part of the great white's natural range, they typically show up only from late fall through early spring. But even then, they are rarely encountered and thought to be few in number.
"It's like a Bengal tiger, or any other apex predator," Loefer said. "They need a big range and a lot of food."
DNR scientists typically receive a few reports of great white sightings off the Lowcountry coast each year, and one commercial fisherman reported catching three last year and two the year before, Frazier said.
"Most people aren't fishing this time of year, so there could be even more out there," he said.
Matt Winter is editor of Tideline magazine. Reach him at matt@tidelinemagazine.com or 843-937-5568.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
Makes ya think twice about surfing Folly Beach doesn't it?
Is the trawler still stuck of Kiawah's Beach?
http://lifefloatingby.blogspot.com
Other recent OBX shark stories:
http://www.outerbanksfreepress.com/ob...
November 26, 2008 at 2:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Spunky_Monkey (anonymous) says...
HOLY CARP!!!!
That's one big mutha of a shark!!
And yeah, I think the trawler is still beached.
November 26, 2008 at 4:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
Why is there a picture of my ex-wife with this article?
November 26, 2008 at 6:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
devster (anonymous) says...
She is beautiful!
November 26, 2008 at 6:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
islandbenzbc (anonymous) says...
It's a shame that they didn't find something a little more exciting in the shark's stomach...would have made for a much better story.
November 26, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kendl44 (anonymous) says...
LOL ColdBud!
November 26, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SomeTruthPlease (anonymous) says...
I figured that they'd find something in it's digestive system that was a little more "movie-like", as in- some hubcaps, a microwave oven, a couple of appendages from humans, a couple of lap dogs and a cat or two, and a sewing kit. I simply cannot believe that the damn thing was empty. Anorexic? A Paris Hilton shark?
November 26, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
Be serious, I think all the local lawyers have a huge interest in what killed one of them.
November 26, 2008 at 7:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
beefsaver (anonymous) says...
Count me among those that are surprised at the empty stomach. I guess, when in the lowcountry, why eat junk food when you can have fresh, locally caught seafood!
Yes I, like ColdBud, will be here all week.
November 26, 2008 at 7:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Girleygirl (anonymous) says...
Get it right sometruthplease! I can't believe you would compare that shark to Paris Hilton...it's more like Nicole Richie!!! Get your popular for no reason actress right, okay! LOL
Maybe the shark ate something that did not agree and he was dehydrated and had a bad case of diarrhea...
November 26, 2008 at 8:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
Why is that guy playing with the shark's weewee?
November 26, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
Ya'll are off the chain this morning.
Where's the sympathy for this poor creature?
The port is responsible for it's death, and the ACLU knows it's civil rights have been violated.
BTW- Which funeral home will be handling the arrangements, and will it be buried at sea as it's will has directed?
November 26, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
Good thing it washed up on Morris Island and not the Isle of Palms. Otherwise someone would have to go to jail for the hole left in the sand when they move the shark...
November 26, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ashleyriver (anonymous) says...
coldbud--if the great white had washed ashore at Wild Dunes on IOP, they'd have been calling for taxpayer assistance to remove the critter
November 26, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
why is Glenn Beck pointing at me on every page?
obnoxious
November 26, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bribetaker (anonymous) says...
"Get it right sometruthplease! I can't believe you would compare that shark to Paris Hilton...it's more like Nicole Richie!!! Get your popular for no reason actress right, okay! LOL"
The shark was a heroin user? I didn't see that in the article.....
November 26, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
An ode to zoomru:
Shark oil!!!.... a VALUABLE resource!!!
Hello! Janet Jackson!!! Where are YOUR plastic and styrofoam cups?
Must we FILL the LAND with cast away KITES???
Janet Reno!!!... will YOU fly the shark oil banner???... or will we continue to burn our NON-RENEWABLE resources????
Shark fin WINDMILLS!!!! We have the POWER!!! We just have to USE it!!!
Steve Erwin!!! Are you in the stomach of WASTE??????
November 26, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
ColdBud
Best Post EVER!
November 26, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
islandbenzbc (anonymous) says...
ColdBud: That post sould get zoomru fired up...great!
November 26, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
Posted by MotoryachtSoCo on November 26, 2008 at 2:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Makes ya think twice about surfing Folly Beach doesn't it?
---------------
Not me. I'm going surfing tomorrow if we have waves. Statistically you are more likely to be killed in an automobile accident on your way to work than you are to be bitten by a shark, much less killed by one.
The health of the ocean is in decline worldwide considering overfishing, water pollution and trash that's dumped into our oceans. I'm not saying that's what killed this shark, but it seems strange considering that she didn't have any cuts, bruises or looked like she was malnourished.
November 26, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Patrick_1991 (anonymous) says...
According to a professor in Hawaii, Dolphins will actually kill sharks by ramming them with their bottle-noses. Most likely the pack of dolphins, which almost certainly killed this shark, were either protecting their pups or territory. Blunt force trauma to the gills will not show any damage at first glance. I hope this "Frazier" character looks closely at the gills.
November 26, 2008 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
I just want the jaw bone :)
November 26, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suec (anonymous) says...
Coldbud, that was classic zoomru! ha ha
November 26, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
i think empty stomach says it all
November 26, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SmooveB (anonymous) says...
Like my pops told me when I was a kid:
"You enter the ocean, you enter the foodchain."
November 26, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
Coldbud: I know you and beefeater will be here all week however I just have one question...
how much are the tickets?
November 26, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flinsc (anonymous) says...
See what happens when Democrats take over, great whites die.
November 26, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JackDaniels (anonymous) says...
Posted by iceman1978 on November 26, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by MotoryachtSoCo on November 26, 2008 at 2:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Makes ya think twice about surfing Folly Beach doesn't it?
---------------
Not me. I'm going surfing tomorrow if we have waves. Statistically you are more likely to be killed in an automobile accident on your way to work than you are to be bitten by a shark, much less killed by one.
---------------
It's an interesting way to manipulate statistics, but it won't keep you safe from a shark attack.
Billions of people do not live in or visit the natural habitats of dangerous sharks, and so have a probability of being bitten by one of "ZERO". Billions of people DO have cars, or live in places where they are driven, so their likelihood of an automobile accident is quite high. If you are a driver, and how many of us are, you are probably going to have MORE than once accident, thus raising that bar even further. But ALL of the shark bite victims, with very few exceptions, are surfers and divers.
So to say MY statistical probability (as I don't surf and no longer dive) of being bitten by a shark is not nearly as great as being in a car accident is certainly true. But since you are a member of the tiny minority that make up the entire shark-bite probability population, I'd have to say your odds aren't so good. But still much better than if you lived in Australia.
November 26, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
JackDaniels, You make a good point, but swimmers get bitten as well. In the past two hundred years there have probably been less than two-hundred who have been killed in shark attacks in the United States. Measuring that against the many thousands who surf, swim, dive, or just go chest-deep into the ocean each week and it's still statistically unlikely.
Australia, along with South Africa, have some of the worst rates of shark attacks. In the US, you're more at risk in Florida or along the Outer Banks of NC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
Here is a link that gives a list of shark attack fatalities in the US by decade.
Shark attacks make for good ratings, so the media are always going to make a Federal case out of it. The Great White however, is one species of shark that poses the greatest danger to humans.
November 26, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColdBud (anonymous) says...
My biggest fear is a dragon attack... not only can they kill you, they can scorch the paint off of your car!
Um, just to clarify, Dragon Attack, in this case is in reference to the Queen song on "The Game" album.. nothing to do with dungeons and dragons at all. I never played that game .
November 26, 2008 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wythe124 (anonymous) says...
DNR..When you are finished with the necropsy on the head of this Great White..donate the jaw with teeth to the Charleston Aquarium. They do not have an original Great White tooth specimen to show to the kids. The one they are using is a fake tooth made from an impression and sold on the Internet.
It would be nice for something good to come from the death of such a beautiful animal!
November 26, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Cid95 (anonymous) says...
ColdBud - Excellent parody, it's becoming a lost art.
November 26, 2008 at 9:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
walleyedwoman1215 (anonymous) says...
Matt, good story. Congrats on your new gig, also.
November 26, 2008 at 10:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Does this (girl)still have her fins $$$$?
November 27, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Full terms and conditions can be read here.