Displaying 9 of 64 Behavior

A Fortunate One Who Got Away

by Tom Born
I made this photo of a sand tiger shark with a hook in it's mouth on the wreck of the Proteus, at 120 feet deep, 25 miles off Hatteras, North Carolina. Sand tigers are protected by state and federal laws, so perhaps this one was accidentally caught and cut loose. The hook will eventually corrode away, leaving the shark unharmed. Not all sand tigers are as lucky. They occur in most coastal waters worldwide, and are actively fished for their fins in many places. Sand tigers are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Endangered Species. This means that sand tigers face a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future.
Location: Hatteras, North Carolina
Category: Behavior

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