A 9-year-old boy has been bitten by a shark as he swam with his family in North Carolina. The child was in shallow waters at a beach in Oak Island when the attack occurred at 3:00 p.m. on August 23.
While swimming, the family noticed small fish jumping out of the water nearby, Oak Island town officials said in a press release. The shark then bit the front of the boy's shoulder. The family drove the child to Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport, where it was determined that the shark must have belonged to a small species, or have been a juvenile.
The child suffered no major injuries and stitches were not required, the press release said, although the bite wound was clearly visible on his shoulder.
It is not clear why the shark bit the child, the town officials reported, adding that the attack appears to be an "isolated incident."
"The Beach Services Unit is maintaining close observation of the surf area during their patrols throughout the remainder of the day. If further caution is needed, a public notice will be provided through the email notification system, OKInformation," the officials reported.
They also noted that the shark incident is not related to a jellyfish warning that was previously in place at the beach.
There are several possible explanations for the attack. Sharks do not typically hunt humans, meaning it was likely a case of mistaken identity and the fish sighted in the area by the family while they swam may have been a factor.
Sharks usually prey on other fish species and the fish sighted in the area where the attack occurred may have attracted the shark.
If a human is swimming in the same place a shark is hunting, then bites are more likely to occur. More often than not, sharks will bite a human and release immediately, once they realise the victim is not their preferred prey.
While it is not clear which shark species was responsible for biting the child, various species live in the waters along the North Carolina coastline. These include the tiger shark and the great white, two of the most feared shark species.
Other species found in the area are lemon sharks, the blacktip shark and the scalloped hammerhead.
Although they happen occasionally, shark bites remain very rare. For example, only 78 confirmed, unprovoked shark attacks have been recorded in North Carolina since records began in 1837, according to the International Shark Attack File.
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