The persistent nurse shark is holding on for dear life. Boca Raton Fire Rescue photo.
A woman swimming in Boca Raton, Florida was bitten by a small nurse shark on Sunday, May 16. It clamped down on her arm and refused to let go even as it was dying, the Washington Post reported.
Nurse sharks are known as the "couch potatoes" of the shark world and often considered as easy-going creatures. Ocean Rescue Capt. Clint Tracy said he'd never seen anything like this shark attack before.
"[I've] never even heard of anything like this," Tracy told the Post.
Yet, a child who witnessed the incident reported that people had been messing with the shark and picking it up by it's tail prior to its attack (maybe they're related to the Yellowstone tourists?).
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The assuredly irritated shark would not release it's grip on the woman's arm, even after she left the water and sought help on the beach to remove it. When it became apparent that the shark would not relinquish it's grip, the woman was rushed to a local hospital to have the shark removed.
"The shark wouldn't give up. It was barely breathing but wasn't letting go of her arm," Boca Raton resident Shlomo Jacob told the Post.
About The Author
stash member Maya Hunger
Journalist by training, dirtbag by bank account, environmentalist by passion, sea kayak guide & road bike guide in the summer, skier at heart.