Massive 11-Foot Hammerhead Shark Washes Ashore On Florida Beach

An 11-foot hammered shark was discovered washed up on a beach earlier this month in southern Florida. According to CNN, the 500-pound female hammerhead's corpse was found at Pompano Beach, located just north of Fort Lauderdale, on April 6. 

Speaking to CNN, Hannah Medd, a conservation scientist and the founder of the American Shark Conservancy, said that she and her team took the shark's measurements as well as fin clippings to test its DNA and muscle tissue for biopsies. After examining the corpse, it was revealed that the female was pregnant and weighed around 500 pounds. 

Hannah Medd informed that the Conservancy, which has a license to take samples from protected species like the hammered shark, was alerted to the animal by the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, which surveys for turtle nests on beaches. She said that a member of the team had encountered the body with a hook in its mouth. 

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“The Specific type of hook usually indicates someone was fishing for a large animal like a hammerhead,” Ms Medd said, adding, “This species, in particular, is quite susceptible to stress”. 

Further, the scientist noted that the catch-and-release of hammerhead sharks is legal in Florida as long as the shark is not harvested. However, Ms Medd added that the stress from the event can lead to a fatal reaction. “This is a pretty rare event. We get a call for maybe one to four a year that have washed back up,” Ms Medd said. 

Now, the group continues to advocate for better catch-and-release protocols. However, researchers noted that because the creature is “really good at fighting” it can act as a lure for thrill-seeking anglers looking to challenge themselves. 

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Meanwhile, it is to mention that a recent study found that, despite their dwindling numbers, great hammerheads are the fifth most common shark species in south Florida with the most common being a nurse shark, followed by the blacktip, lemon and then bull shark. They can reach as long as 18 feet and live for more than 20 years, so long as they're not targeted by commercial fishing groups for their fins.