The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recovered a great hammerhead shark that was reported on a Naples beach on March 26.
According to FWC spokesperson Arielle Callender, a FWC law enforcement officer and biologist worked with Naples Police Department and staff from the City of Naples to collect the carcass.
SW Florida social media documents removal of shark in Naples
Photos of the shark on the beach and a video of the shark being lifted into a City of Naples truck were shared on different social media platforms.
Monique Barnhart-Tiberio, a spokesperson for the City of Naples, said the city was notified on 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The shark was found at 15th Ave. South. She said the shark was estimated to weight 300 pounds.
The Naples Police contacted FWC. Barnhart-Tiberio said FWC arrived and moved the shark to 17th Ave. South where it was loaded into a city truck around 10 a.m. Eventually the shark was moved into an FWC truck, Barhhart-Tiberio said.
Callender said the shark was transported to an FWC lab for a necropsy.
Naples woman spots great hammerhead shark on beach
Naples resident Susy Karlen was walking on the Naples beach Thursday when she came upon the great hammerhead shark. We connected with her on her Facebook page.
“I recently relocated to Naples from Delaware, (and) exploring my new surroundings is top of mind at the moment and (I) woke up with the wanting to walk the beach,” Karlen said. “First thing I saw (the shark) and no, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Karlen was impressed with its size.
“(It) was a bit shocking and such a beautiful creature,” she said. “Of course, many questions came to mind – how did it get so close to the shore and what could have happened to it?”
The great hammerhead shark: What to know
According to the FWC website, the great hammerhead shark is:
What about the size, age of great hammerhead sharks?
According to the FWC, the maximum size of a great hammerhead shark is about 18-19 feet. It matures at approximately 8-9 feet and is a long-lived shark (44 years).
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Huge great hammerhead shark found on Florida beach, recovered by FWC
Reporting by Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
