The Dorsal Fin

Australia’s The Telegraph is reporting that onlookers claim a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was “bludgeoned to death in front of crying children.” The incident reportedly took place at Sussex Inlet in New South Wales. The 2m shark had been hooked by a fisherman and then landed on the boat dock where eyewitnesses claim the shark was beaten to death with a metal pole.

The killing of a white shark in Australia is punishable by a fine of up to $11,000 and a two-year jail sentence, according to The Telegraph.

It was reported that some of the people on the scene claimed that the shark (seen in this photo) was a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), which is not protected in Australia. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries, who are investigating the incident, said that thinking the shark was a mako was “not an excuse.”

To read the full article head over The Telegraph.

YouTube user walkofwolf0 has posted a video documenting the dissection of multiple juvenile great white sharks. According to the video information, there were a total of 4 juvenile white sharks dissected on October 11, 2009. It is not clear from the video what the purpose of these dissections was, nor how and from where the white sharks were acquired. If anybody has any more information regarding the events in this video, please feel free to contribute.

Due to the graphic nature of the dissection, I have chosen not to embed the video here. To view the video follow the link below.

According to a report on NBC San Diego, a woman was bitten repeatedly by a juvenile great white shark, yet sustained injuries that “didn’t even cut the skin.” Bethany Edmunds described feeling a sharp pain in her foot while taking underwater photos. She initially shrugged it off as having possibly kicked the reef, when she felt the same pain a second time. She then began to swim away from the area when she was "hit on the upper right thigh" and knocked about 1′ out of the water. It was at this point that she attempted to head for shore. While heading for shore, Edmunds says she, "felt the same sharp pain in my left calf, but this time I was dragged under water and shaken for 4 – 5 seconds." Edmunds stated that during this struggle she accidentally kicked the shark prompting the shark to release her.

According to Encinatas lifeguard, Elena Tellechea, a shark specialist confirmed the bites were from a juvenile great white shark based on the injuries. Thankfully, Edmunds, was not seriously injured as a result of the multiple bites. According to information at the Shark Research Committee website the bite marks, which produced no obvious signs of bleeding when Edmunds exited the water, are indicative of a juvenile white shark approximately 5-6′ (1.5-1.8m) in length. The site also has two images of the bite marks.