PORT ARANSAS, Texas – Three sharks washed up within days of each other near Port Aransas, causing some to wonder if the deaths were caused by any unusual circumstances.
“It is slightly unusual to see more than one on any given day but not that unheard of to see one washed up dead,” said Eric Ehrlich, a park interpreter and resource specialist at Mustang Island State Park with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
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The photos were posted in a Facebook photography and videography group for Port Aransas.
Marvin Orellana posted a photo of a shark he came across on Tuesday. He said he was driving on the beach headed to the Padre Island National Seashore when he saw the 5-foot shark surrounded by seagulls.
Two others commented on Orellana’s post saying they’d also seen dead sharks in the last several days.
Casi Bull told KSAT that she was taking an evening cruise along the shoreline to watch the sunset on New Year’s Eve, when she saw the shark washed up between Mile Marker 294 and 295 in the Kleberg County beach area.
John Boodee said his shark discovery happened as he was driving back to Port Aransas from Malaquite Beach about a mile or so from where Bob Hall Pier used to be.
The shark that Orellana posted seemed to have a large bite mark. Just based on sight, it would be hard to know if that happened before or after the shark died, Ehrlich said. It would also be difficult to tell what bit it. Some speculated it could have been a larger tiger shark based on the size of the bite and the teeth marks.
Ehrlich does have a theory about what caused the death of these sharks. He’s guessing that it was humans.
“My speculation is that they were not released quickly enough to survive and the currents pushed them back on shore,” he said.
Ehrlich said the best way to identify a shark is by looking at the fin placements. He recommended referencing a website like this one for anyone who comes across a shark and would like help to identify it.