Shark attacks off South Padre Island disrupt Independence Day activities – Houston Public Media

Two people were attacked by sharks in Texas waters on Thursday, another in a growing number of shark-related incidents this year.

Just a month after a teenager was attacked by a shark off Galveston, two more attacks were reported Thursday off South Padre Island. Four people were injured in the attacks. Authorities said two people “encountered” the shark and suffered minor injuries, while the other two were bitten by the shark. One of the victims was a man who was taken to the hospital for a severe bite.

Dr. Kesley Banks, a scientist at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, says these encounters are most likely due to a case of confusion, where the shark mistakes humans for fish.

“Evidence of this is that there is only one bite and then the shark walks away. Sharks don’t have hands, they explore their environment with their mouths,” Dr. Banks said. “They do something called poking and biting, especially in murky water… they look for that shadow. They see if that shadow is something they want to eat.”

Dr. Banks says sharks are always close to shore. She says the number of sightings increases when more people go into the water, but a recent study from Florida may provide a clue as to why these attacks occurred at this particular time.

“Sharks can predict a hurricane earlier than we can. They obviously eat more before a hurricane, just as we prepare for major weather disturbances. It is likely that this increased feeding behavior before the storm is just a case of confusion,” said Dr. Banks.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife warden says the last attack in the South Padre area was five years ago. After reviewing pictures and speaking with witnesses, they believe a single, six-foot shark was responsible for Thursday’s attacks.