Double B. S….Bull Shark with Two Heads!

A couple of blog posts (about pupfish) back I mentioned bull sharks in the waters surrounding Andros Island, Bahamas. Serendipitous? I don’t think so because the word serendipity evokes a pleasant aspect and for me a bull shark just doesn't  A fisherman off the Florida Keys caught a bull shark complete with a living double headed fetus. It is a specimen now, (no longer a living fetus), that has been examined by scientists and pictured and written about in the Journal of Fish Biology. It is a rare occurrence (the unfinished splitting of the embryo into twins that result in two headed critters) and this fetus represents the first known specimen for the bull shark. The good news here is that the two headed bull shark probably wouldn't have survived (except maybe in a Jaws sequel of prequel) because the body was stunted and the shark wouldn't have been able to move with enough speed to avoid predators. That is some consolation, I guess since I would prefer not to meet any bull sharks this weekend (or any weekend) while splashing in the shallows of the turning basin at CCBeach in the Bahamas with a visiting grandson who just happens to be on spring break. It’s eerie enough knowing that my grandson’s name happens to be the same as the Chief’s last name (played by Roy Scheider) in the movie Jaws! Cue Twilight Zone music…