Although it's our non-expert opinion that sharks always have means, motive and opportunity to attack humans, experts insist otherwise. Supposedly, we're not quite as tasty as gray seals. Well, Monday's "suspected" and "alleged" shark attack at Ballston Beach in Truro has been confirmed by officials as a, well, shark attack. According to Greg Skomal, the state shark expert:
While the last confirmed injury caused by a white shark in Massachusetts occurred in 1936, the weight of evidence - including eyewitness sighting of a fin, the presence of seals, and the extent of injury - points to a white shark. The beach is staying open since, according to Truro Town Administrator Rex Peterson, "Sharks are not stationary creatures. It wasn't like a shark was lurking off that particular beach." Translation: Jaws could be at any beach, anytime, but don't worry.
Fisheries officials are currently tracking nine great white sharks, ranging from 9 to 18 feet in length, in Cape Cod waters. They can't track them in real-time, so they try to check the data weekly. Hold up, with all of the intellectual capital spent on data mining social media, why isn't there an app for that yet? How can there not be foursquare for sharks? Look who just became mayor of Ballston Beach!
· Great white shark identified as likely culprit in Cape Cod swimmer attack [Masslive.com]
· Our Fear Factor Archive [Curbed Cape Cod]