The giant hammerhead, which was 14 feet long, washed up on an Alabama
beach. The expecting mother was later dissected, but the cause of death is
still unknown.
A necropsy (animal autopsy) has shown that a large hammerhead shark that
washed up dead on a beach in Alabama lately was carrying 40 unborn pups.
What killed the expecting woman, though, remains unknown.
On April 20, a great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) female was found in the
shallows close to Orange Beach. She was around 14 feet (4.3 meters) long.
The carcass was discovered by the city's coastal resources team after a
group of onlookers hauled the lifeless behemoth onto the sand and called for
help, according to a post on Facebook by city officials.
The deceased shark was in such good shape that authorities contacted MFE
experts at Mississippi State University, who performed a necropsy on the
shark the next day.
40 pups, each measuring around 1.5 feet (0.4 meters) in length, were being
carried by the hammerhead, the study discovered. According to local
officials, the mother and her offspring were probably already dead when they
washed up on the coast.
Although it was really unfortunate that the shark went away, city
authorities said that the team's discoveries might significantly advance our
understanding of this species' reproductive biology.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, great hammerhead sharks are classified as
severely endangered. The number of remaining is not known with certainty,
although it is thought to be declining annually.
The scientists dissected and inspected the mother shark's heart, liver,
esophagus, stomach, spleen, kidneys, and pancreas during the necropsy.
Representatives of MFE posted on
Facebook that none of these body parts showed any indications of trauma or
illness. Additionally, they sent out samples of the animal's fins, muscle
tissue, and vertebrae for further laboratory examination.
Although the shark's stomach was empty, which is often a warning sign
during a necropsy, MFE officials indicated that this was to be anticipated
because pregnant female hammerhead sharks frequently go without food for
several months.
Although MFE researchers were unable to identify the cause of death, they
believe it may have been connected to fishing.
The authors said, "We know that great hammerheads are especially prone to
the physiological effects of capture stress, more so than most other shark
species," adding that pregnancy can exacerbate this physiological
stress.
A failed shark pregnancy last year was similarly connected to stress
brought on by capture. A dead juvenile thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus)
washed ashore on a British beach in May 2022. The shark's mother is believed
to have aborted the shark, which was not completely formed, when she was
accidently caught and released by fishermen.
The education system will provide the newborn hammerhead sharks a second
chance at life even though they will never be born. According to MFE staff,
the pups will be maintained and given to nearby classrooms to assist teach
kids about sharks and reproduction.
