Pregnant Great White Shark Washes Up In Florida

When we think of the massive great white shark, the sounds of the theme song, Jaws, start to ring in our ears. And visions of a gnarly predator chasing us in the ocean with no help around start to come up. However, it’s not always this nightmare above when we encounter great white sharks. Sometimes the interactions are a bit unexpected, like in the video shown below.

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Great White Shark in Florida Found Pregnant

The Facebook video clip shown in the section above takes us to Florida. This is where a great white shark washes up on shore. The Fox News channel picked up on this viral video and shared it with their 24 million followers on Facebook. This channel is one of the world-renowned news companies that share footage from around the world as well as right here in the United States. 

Unknown Cause of Death in Great White Shark

At the beginning of the video posted at the top, we see that some bystanders witnessed a massive, great white shark washed up on shore. Members of the Navarre Beach Fire Rescue responded to the scene. We can see what looks to be their team evaluating the shark. 

News Channel 8 Reported from the Fire Rescue Chief that not only did the shark have hooks in her mouth, but that she was also pregnant as well. Great white sharks’ gestation period is 12 months. During which time they will grow their embryos internally in a yolk sack until they give birth. 

The cause of death was not able to be determined on the scene. According to the Hill, the Fire Rescue Chief, “also noted that while researchers from NOAA would be taking blood samples of the shark, a necropsy would not be performed.” A necropsy is an autopsy of an animal after death. They may just not have had the resources to perform an autopsy. However, it could have been extremely useful in understanding great white sharks, especially considering this shark was pregnant. 

Can a Shark Survive With a Hook In Its Mouth?

When we think of the dangers to animals, we typically research the predators that the animal has. Given the size of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which weighs up to 5,000 pounds and reaches up to 26 feet in length, they don’t have very many predators. Killer whales and humans will hunt younger great white sharks, but that is about it. 

However, hunters are not the only threat to the livelihood of the great white shark. The NOAA states that a standard J-hook may injure sharks, and the likelihood of death is very real. Should the shark still be alive, it can be very dangerous to remove hooks from them. It should only be done if either you are a professional or you have knowledge of how to do it safely. 

And as we can see from the video posted at the top, the hooks in this pregnant shark were likely the cause of her death.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © mingis/iStock via Getty Images