DNR: Stressed Shark May Have Left Babies Behind

The flurry of online videos and tweets that drew swimmers and watercraft to crowd a hammerhead shark about to give birth near the beaches of Ocean City only distressed the animal, which has since vanished, authorities say.

Friday there was no sign of the shark off the coast of the popular Maryland resort city, which may mean that it gave birth to its pups overnight and has moved on. Authorities say there have been no reports of a dead or beached shark in the area.

Candy Thomson, public information officer for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, told Patch that while people should celebrate the birth of a creature that is hunted in some parts of the world and endangered elsewhere, too much attention can harm the creatures.

“It was fun for a lot of people to be able to see a shark up close, but it was too bad it was stressed,” Thomson said. “Please stay back, please stay back, please stay back, but we weren’t getting any traction” with that message.

SEE ALSO: Fins Up: Shark Cruising Beach at Ocean City

For two days lifeguards and swimmers were on alert as the shark lingered near Ocean City’s beaches. The DNR urged gawkers to leave it alone. The animal likely hurt itself ramming boats in distress, biologists say.

Biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the National Aquarium in Baltimore, said the scalloped hammerhead shark – weighing in at 300 pounds and 8 feet long – needed some breathing room.

Instead, the expectant mom “was being buzzed by jet skis and people in pleasure boats,” Thomson said, along with a fishing boat. “So the first thing was to back off and give it some room. It was definitely stressed.”

Thomson has heard, but can’t confirm, reports that the shark gave birth overnight.

The social media firestorm gave the Ocean City shark its own Twitter hashtag, of course: #OCSHARK.

This particular species is on an international endangered species list, says the DNR.

Shark Safety Tips

NOAA says that the risk of a shark attack is very small, and are most likely near shore if a shark is trapped by a low tide, or in a feeding area where sharks gather.

To reduce the risk of a shark attack:

• Don’t swim too far from shore
• Stay in groups – sharks are more likely to attack a solitary person
• Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight when sharks are most active
• Don’t go in the water if bleeding from a wound – sharks have an acute sense of smell
• Don’t wear shiny jewelry in the water – the reflected light resembles fish scales
• Avoid brightly-colored swimwear – sharks see contrast particularly well

»Photo: Hammerhead shark at Ocean City, MD, courtesy of the Maryland DNR