Something strange is happening in New York waters
- A woman lost a chunk of her thigh when bitten by a shark at a New York City beach on Monday.
- It was just the latest shark bite reported in the state, which is experiencing an uptick in bites.
While many people are afraid of getting attacked by a shark, and think it must happen often when people swim in the ocean, shark attacks are actually exceptionally rare — so what's happening in New York right now is just really strange.
A 65-year-old woman was seriously injured by a shark bite on Monday while swimming at Rockaway Beach in Queens, marking the first shark attack in New York City since the 1950s, according to The New York Times. But it was far from the first shark attack in the state of New York this year. Five people reported getting bitten by a shark at Long Island beaches over the Fourth of July holiday alone.
The uptick in shark attacks started last year, when eight people experienced unprovoked shark bites in the state, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. Before that, there were only 12 reported shark bites ever recorded in New York state since 1837.
That means between 2022 and 2023, there has been more reported shark bites in New York than in the previous 186 years.
Scientists have said sharks are returning to Long Island waters thanks to recovered populations of bait fish, like bluefish and bunker fish, as well as improved water quality, that draw in other animals sharks prey on. The response has included drones patrolling the water, temporary beach closures, and additional lifeguard training, not to mention unease from some residents.
But the shark bite this week was especially remarkable.
While previous bites have resulted in minor injuries, the woman at Rockaway had a large chunk of her thigh bitten off by the shark, according to The Associated Press, which saw a photo of the injury. Gavin Naylor, director of the International Shark Attack File, told the outlet the bite was "qualitatively different" than the others.
"This is a very severe injury from something that's powerful and unambiguous," he said. "It's very deliberate."
Naylor said the shark bite appeared to be caused by a juvenile great white shark, but that a bull shark or a sandbar shark were also possible culprits, AP reported.
While researchers and officials stress that getting bitten by a shark is still very rare, the latest incidents serve as a reminder that swimmers in New York are increasingly sharing spaces with the apex predators.
The bites in New York appear even stranger when compared to Southern California, where shark attacks have not been increasing despite the area becoming a hotspot for great white sharks.