Woman taken to hospital with shark attached to her arm
Awoman was admitted to hospital in Florida over the weekend with a two-foot long shark clinging onto her arm by the teeth.
The 23-year-old, whose name has not been released, reportedly remained calm as rescuers attached a splint to her arm to support the animal's weight.
According to witnesses, she and her friends had been holding the baby nurse shark by the tail when it bit into her arm. The incident occurred off the coast of Red Reef Park on Sunday afternoon.
Eyewitness Nate Patrick, 11, told the Sun Sentinel he saw the woman and her friends "messing with" the shark before it lashed out.
"Sharks are the most humane thing ever," said Nate, who has almost certainly never seen Jaws. "So it wouldn't bite them if they hadn't been messing with it."
"The shark wouldn't give up," said onlooker Shlomo Jacob. "It was barely breathing but it wasn't letting go of her arm, like it was stuck to her or something."
The woman was taken by ambulance to hospital in Boca Raton, and was due to be released the same day.
The shark did not survive.
"Knowingly or not, people swim near nurse sharks every day without incident," says the US National Park Service. "Attacks on humans are rare but not unknown and a clamping bite typically results from a diver or fisherman antagonizing the shark with hook, spear, net or hand.
"The bite reflex is such that it may be some minutes before a quietly re-immersed nurse shark will relax and release its tormentor. The small teeth seldom penetrate deeply but are razor sharp.
"Holding still reduces damage to both shark and man. Leaving sharks alone is the best tactic."
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