Male Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) in Wellfleet Bay
Holy mackerel! Has Jaws wandered into paradise? Who will save the children? Who will save the turtles? Where is Quinn when you really need him?
Amazing Find on the Tidal Flats off Lieutenant Island
Not often does a large pelagic shark find its way into the shallows of Wellfleet Bay. They prefer the deep, cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean. On a few occasions in fall, Don has encountered basking sharks scooping plankton from high tide flooded creeks and coves within the Wellfleet Bay estuarine system. But an 11-foot blue shark is a surprising find on the tidal flats off Lieutenant Island. Yes, Virginia, the very same tidal flats where kids from four to one hundred four play all summer long, and much more importantly, where we all go wading in chest-high water for terrapins. Kind-a gives you goose bumps down your spine, doesn’t it? No doubt we’ll add another risk waiver form for interns and volunteers for the 2009 research season.
Sue Wieber Nourse Provides Sizing Perspective
Sue, proudly sporting her Williams sweatshirt, provides sizing perspective for the leviathan.  This male shark measured 3.37 meters (almost precisely 11 feet) from the point of his snout to the trailing tip of his caudal fin. The fork length (snout to center of caudal fin fork) was about 8.5 feet. And, yes, the more scientific length is the fork length measurement, but the 11-foot shark headline reads so much more impressively than an 8.5-foot shark.Â
The dorsal fin rose 28 centimeters (11 inches) above his back.Â
We had no scale nor a means to get one to the scene. The only estimate of weight comes from Don Lewis as he moved the critter for various measurements and then for the necropsy. His back suggests a weight in the range of 250+ pounds, supported by estimated shark length-to-weight charts.
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Blue Shark from Tooth to Tail
What an extraordinary opportunity to examine such an apex predator at close quarters! October’s low sun angle enhanced the shark’s blue hue, casting long, deep shadows that magnified his powerful form. These signal moments spark heightened excitement for humans when adrenaline spikes as you approach animals that can actually eat you. “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” No question; you can add blue sharks to that mantra as they are listed among the top ten “world’s most dangerous sharks.”
You appreciate the animal’s lethal power as you take measurements, none more impressive than teeth size, mouth width and gape. Once adrenaline levels subside, a feeling of sadness and a sense of loss rise. The unexpected death of such a magnificent creature that fills a critical niche in the ocean ecosystem is disconcerting. We hope that a quick in situ necropsy might provide a clue to this blue shark’s demise.
Bob Prescott & Brad Timm Observe as Don Lewis Prepares for Necropsy
Since “Quinn” is long gone and Greg Skomal wasn’t in town, we did the best we could without a shark expert on hand. Between Bob Prescott (Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary director), Sue Wieber Nourse (Jaeger Chair for Marine Studies at Tabor), Brad Timm (UMass Amherst) and Don Lewis (Turtle Guy), we managed a quick examination of the blue shark’s internals. The animal was extremely fresh.
Powerful Blue Shark with Wellfleet Bay in Background
In summary, we found no smoking gun. No identifiable premortem injuries or abrasions. Lots of parasites in and on the liver, in the stomach and in other cavities.  Nothing else in the stomach except for a few remnant fish eye lenses and nothing else we could detect within the gastro-intestinal tract. The GI sysem was largely devoid of food. We collected samples of parasites, liver tissue and tissue from beneath the dorsal fin. We have no conjecture beyond mere guesswork about the cause of death.
Open Wide and Say, “Ah”
Tags: apex predator, basking sharks, Blue shark, blue shark in Wellfleet Bay, Bob Prescott, Brad Timm, Don Lewis, Greg Skomal, Jaeger Chair for Marine Studies Tabor, Lietenant Island, necropsy, parasites, plankton, Prionace glauca, Sue Wieber Nourse, terrapins, top ten "worlds most dangerous sharks", Turtle Guy, Turtles, Wellfleet Bay estuarine, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Williams
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Thats in front of my summer house!!!!
[…] have uncovered some unusual finds the last few days. A large blue shark, one of the world’s ten most dangerous, came ashore on the tidal flats of Lieutenant […]
I was swimming towards Lt Island bach (one with little boathouse) shore last Aug
when I noticed my husband standing on shore, gesturing and yelling something I could not hear. Knowing a friend was waiting to offer a ride in his sailboat, I thought my husband was merely telling me to hurry up. But when I heard the words “behind you,” I turned my head back and saw what I thought was someone in a shark suit playing a joke. But something about the way it was cutting through the water perpendicularly behind me (parallel to shore and app.16-20ft behind me) gave me some extra urgency to get to shore and out of there, but I was already swimming as fast as I could. It did not feel great to hear that those on the beach were reasonably sure it was indeed a shark. And now we know beyond any doubt—and a most dangerous one at that. “Yikes”
is right! Now what? I swim in that spot almost every day in summer, often alone. If one shark appeared, does that not mean there are others about?
Is there any way one could protect a small swimming area from such companions? I know we share this earth and wish them no harm but would like to know what we might do for safety in a small area that is much frequented by swimmers and toddlers?
I was swimming towards the shore of the Lt Island beach at the other end (one with little boathouse) shore last August when I noticed my husband standing on shore, gesturing and yelling something I could not hear.
Knowing a friend was waiting to offer a ride in his sailboat, I thought my husband was merely telling me to hurry up. But when I heard the words “behind you,†I turned my head back and saw what I thought was someone in a shark suit playing a joke. But something about the way it was cutting through the water perpendicularly behind me (parallel to shore and app.16-20ft behind me) gave me some extra urgency to get to shore and out of there, but I was already swimming as fast as I could.
It did not feel great to hear that those on the beach were reasonably sure that what they and I had seen was indeed a shark. And now we know beyond any doubt—and a most dangerous one at that.
“Yikesâ€is right! Now what? I swim in that spot almost every day in summer, often alone. If one shark appeared, does that not mean there are others about?
Is there any way one could protect a small swimming area from such companions? I know we share this earth and wish them no harm but would like to know what we might do for safety in a small area that is much frequented by swimmers and toddlers?
good morning
My name is Katy
This blog very inctructive.
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Hi!
My name is Jessika!
First of all, there’s very little you can do to ‘protect’ yourself from a shark attack. If they decide they’re going after you, then you’re on entirely at their mercy. In the old days, there was some speculation that if one was to swim around with a short stick and managed to hit the shark in the nose or eye during an attack, the animal would disengage and swim away – this theory was never actually tested, as a human being is not exactly the most agile thing in water (the attacks are instantaneous and often you never see them coming before it’s already too late). The very basic fact is that we’re ape-like land creatures (with a very short evolution on top of that) whereas the sharks have been around for approx. 390 million years – so we’re not exactly at the top of the foodchain while swimming around in water with those apex predators.
As for measures, there are nets that can delimit a swimming area. They are however expensive to install, need to be maintained regularly and often result in other animals becoming entangled in them and dying – all for someone’s pleasure of a morning swim. Moreover, those nets are not 100% secure and sharks/other sea creatures do get through at times. The best recommendation would be for you to pick up another hobby (like biking or jogging) or to get a swimming pool membership or something… unless of course you don’t really mind losing a limb one day. 😉
well the oceans have no borders,sharks are everywhere and they could care less where people and cute kids play.they have roamed the seas for millions of years and in every ocean on earth
is it me…or is the picture right below the youtube clip showing a red bruise-like spot at the hinge of the lower jaw??? maybe someone fished it up early in the morning…..or maybe it got scared and tried to exit the water, as some sharks have been observed fleeing from bigger sharks…..very interesting nonetheless….i’d love to be walking on a beach and come across a dead shark so i could examine it….i’m such a shark nerd
I have a very high interest in sharks. I know a lot about them. Blue sharks are my fav. You might feel bad for the seals though. Seals are not on the regular diet of blue sharks. Seals are coastal and blue sharks are pelagic. That means they live in open sea, where seals would never go. The bull shark is most deadly.