Andrew Deudley of Lumberton breaks through a wave as he uses a kayak to drop bait as he tries to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach west of Sea Rim State Park along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, July 6, 2005.
Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise
(Above) Deudley prepares bait to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach. As many as a half dozen bull sharks have been spotted together along parts of the Southeast Texas coast.
(Below) Deudley removes the remainder of his bait after it had been hit while he tried to catch sharks at McFaddin Beach. One bull shark, was seen in less than 10 inches of water and only 20 feet from shore.
Big Sabine Lake Guide Service captain Buzz Corder of Beaumont (left) and his brother-in-law Dana Tatum of Atlanta (right) look for sharks at McFaddin Beach. Corder said bull sharks are extremely aggressive and territorial.
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) can also penetrate far up freshwater rivers. Bull shark have been recorded thousands of miles up African and South American rivers.
(Above) Andrea Primo (center) of Groves keeps close to her daughter Maisy, 5, (left) and son Gage, 2, (right) at Sea Rim Park along the Gulf Coast. Shark and alligator warnings are posted and have been observed at the park.
(Below) A sand tiger shark swims at the Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston. Although all sharks are cold-blooded fish, great white sharks and eight other species are capable of raising their body temperature to hunt for larger food sources in colder waters. Consequently, they are unlikely to hunt in the warm waters immediately off the Texas coast.
© Mark M. Hancock
(Above) Whitney Hensarling, 17, (left) talks about how the shark attack in the Gulf of Mexico near the beach in Port Bolivar ruined her vacation swimming plans. She and Jeni McCollister, 15; (from left to right) Jarod Hensarling, 14; Josh Hensarling, 8; and Levi Walling, 14, were playing along the beach because they were not allowed to swim in the waters where this week's shark attack happened.
Lydia Paulk, 14, of North Carolina was bitten on her foot by a shark a few feet from where the youths played. She was taken to the University of Texas Meical Branch in Galveston and was listed in fair condition. Hers was the first shark attack off the Texas coast this year.
To learn more about sharks, please visit the Fox Shark Research Foundation's Web site.
video by Mark M. Hancock / NewsEagles.com
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1 comment:
Wow, Mark. Outstanding job, especially considering the recent shark attacks in Florida.
Bull sharks are extremely territorial and very aggressive. They're ranked No. 3 when it comes to attacking humans. Most people overlook the Bull shark, which has lived in the shadows of its cousin, the Great White.
Great White, however, tends to spend most of its time in deeper waters, while the Bull shark has been seen swimming in waters less than a foot deep. Therefore they're more likely to attack swimmers/surfers than a Great White.
Again, great job. Very interesting assignment. I am quite jealous.
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