This was the primary shark assault on 2023.

An important white shark just lately ripped off the top of a fisherman in Mexico, in an incident that made headlines internationally due to the bizarre nature of the assault. Specialists have now claimed that the person was probably a sufferer of “mistaken identification”. The incident occurred on January 5 in Tobari Bay alongside the Gulf of California off Mexico when Manuel Lopez was diving within the sea to gather mollusks carrying a scuba-like equipment, in accordance with Dwell Science.

“What occurred is unlucky, however now we have to work, as a result of that is what we reside on,” Jose Luis Reina, president of an area fishing cooperative within the space, advised Mexican information outlet El Imparcial.

“There are various colleagues who keep away from going out, however there are various others who run the danger,” he mentioned.

Two different fishermen, who had been on a help boat when the assault occurred, noticed the shark “ripping off his head and biting each shoulders”, in accordance with the Dwell Science report.

Greg Skomal, a marine biologist on the College of Boston, advised the outlet that he has by no means heard of such an assault.

“As uncommon as shark bites on people might be, decapitation is much more uncommon,” added Chris Lowe, the director of the Shark Lab at California State College in Lengthy Seashore.

The specialists mentioned that sharks not often chunk individuals and after they do, they sometimes seize the legs after mistaking it for prey, comparable to seal. However as quickly as they realise it is an individual, they go away him.

“If sharks are excited and hungry, they make rash selections and chunk what they take into account a possible prey merchandise,” Gavin Naylor, a marine biologist on the College of Florida, mentioned pointing to this being a case of mistaken identification.

The incident was the primary shark assault of 2023, mentioned Newsweek, including {that a} diver was killed by a shark in the identical area final yr.

Nice white sharks are mostly seen within the Gulf of California between December and January, when pregnant females go to the world.