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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VIII, January, 1954 
without previous experience in such matters, 
it is our unanimous opinion that certain of the 
wounds, particularly the sharp thin slashes and 
the triangular cuts, could not have been made 
by the teeth of a sea lion, whale, or porpoise, 
but that they are definitely of the type that 
might be expected to be produced by the denti- 
tion of a shark. It should be mentioned that the 
California barracuda is extremely rare in the area 
and is of comparatively small size, reaching a 
length of only about 4 feet and a weight of 10 
to 12 pounds. It is inconceivable that this fish 
could have been responsible for the major wound 
of the right leg. Later, Dr. Paul E. Messier also 
viewed the body and pronounced the wounds 
to be identical in character with those which 
he had observed some years ago in two cases 
of shark attack in the tropical Pacific. 
In a forlorn attempt to capture and definitely 
identify the shark, the research vessel "Tage” 
fished for it next day in the adjacent area while 
several people tried their luck from shore. Al- 
though these efforts were unsuccessful, a con- 
siderable amount of evidence supports a tenta- 
tive specific determination. Shaw had a good 
although brief view of the shark’s tail and de- 
scribed it as tuna-like, with a spread of about 
3 feet and with the upper lobe a little longer 
than the lower one. The accuracy of his observa- 
tion is indicated by the fact that he also noted 
a small flap-like structure on the back in front 
of the tail but stated that this was not the dorsal 
fin. At the time I questioned him, he did not 
know that the shark had the small second dorsal 
of which he gave such an adequate characteriza- 
tion. Shaw’s description, supported by that of 
others, fits the caudal fin of the families Lam- 
nidae and Cetorhinidae but of no others. The 
sluggish, plankton-feeding Cetorhinus maximus, 
which has never been suspected of such aggres- 
sion, is at once ruled out as a possible offender. 
The color, unanimously stated to be light and 
variously described as grayish or brownish merg- 
ing into white underneath, does not fit either 
Lamna ditropis or hums glaums, the only other 
members of the Lamnidae known from these 
waters, but points the finger of guilt directly at 
Carcharodon carcharias. The suspicion is further 
strengthened by the broad apex of the triangular 
wounds. These marks matched closely the shape 
of the teeth of Carcharodon, but I do not believe 
they could possibly have been made by the much 
narrower teeth of Lamna or Isurus. The most 
common large shark seen in the area is Prionace 
glauca. By a stretch of the imagination the 
wounds, although they showed no concavity 
of one border, might possibly be interpreted as 
having been inflicted by the teeth of this species. 
However, the striking blue color of the dorsum 
and the great disparity in the length of the 
caudal lobes of Prionace vary widely from all the 
reported observations. Finally, when it is re- 
called that Carcharodon is so notorious for unpro- 
voked attacks on humans that it has gained the 
common name of man-eater and that, although 
uncommon along the California coast, speci- 
mens of this species have previously been taken 
in Monterey Bay and even as far north along 
the coast as Westport, Washington (Bonham, 
K., Copeia 4: 264-266, figs. 1-7, 1942), there is 
comparatively little doubt that this shark was 
responsible for the attack. All the evidence avail- 
able tends to incriminate Carcharodon and to 
absolve the other possible suspects. 
Estimates of the size of the shark vary from 
about 8 feet to 15 feet, or even more. The size 
of the toothmarks, the width of the gape as 
indicated by the dimensions of the lacerated 
area of the left thigh, the estimated spread of 
the tail, all indicate a length of approximately 
12 or 13 feet, but this estimate may be more 
than 10 per cent in error. 
I find it impossible to close this report without 
recalling to the reader’s attention what must 
already be abundantly clear: the outstanding 
courage of the five young men who made the 
rescue attempt. How Brady could have deliber- 
ately gone into the circle of bloody water to 
succor his friend and how the other men could 
have persisted in the slow and laborious task 
of supporting and carrying their lugubrious bur- 
den for more than a quarter of an hour while 
a known deadly killer circled within a few feet 
of them surpasses all understanding. — Rolf L. 
Bolin, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, 
Califiornia. 
