Fisherman bitten by 4-foot shark as he posed for a photo with it, Florida police say
.jpg "A 29-year-old man was bitten by a 4-foot Blacktip shark while fishing along Cape San Blas in Florida on Nov. 3, police said")
A shark fisher reeled in a 4-foot catch — and was bitten when he tried to pose for a photo with it, authorities in Florida say.
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, along Cape San Blas, according to Gulf County sheriff’s deputies and fire rescue officials.
The 29-year-old was “alert and conscious” when authorities arrived to find him sitting in a chair with bandages on his wounds, deputies wrote in an incident report.
Authorities learned the man was shark fishing with friends near the shore when he hooked and reeled in a Blacktip shark, the report said. He pulled the animal into shallow water by its tail and squatted down to take a photo.
That’s when the shark latched onto his leg, causing “deep lacerations” to his right knee and lower thigh, deputies said. The animal was released back into the Gulf and swam away.
Blacktip sharks inhabit warm coastal waters across the world and can grow up to 8 feet long, topping 220 pounds, according to National Geographic. They typically feed on skates, squids, stingrays and crustaceans.
The man was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to authorities. His condition wasn’t known as of Friday, Nov. 4.
Cape San Blas is about 50 miles southeast of Panama City.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Fisherman bitten by 4-foot shark as he posed for a photo with it, Florida police say."