JoAnne Sanders shared this photo with me today. A small (3 foot), unidentified shark swam in circles for several hours today near a dock in Fort Mason according to witnesses, only leaving once the boats from the America's Cup began to show up. Even more peculiar is the interest the shark showed in its viewers. Reportedly, whenever people on the dock stood by the edge, the shark would swim past, taking a look at its observers. When I asked if the shark turned on its side and broke the surface while looking at the observers JoAnne said "yes". This behavior is only known in a few sharks, white sharks being one. Could it be that a young white shark was lost in the San Francisco Bay today? A mako? A salmon shark? Based on the photo above, the shark had a very distinct white marking on its side extending to its underbelly while the rest of the shark was dark. However, the tail looks rather long for a white shark. Full photo below Update
KTVU declared this a white shark, but the Pelagic Research Foundation showed that the markings match that of a salmon shark. One such shark washed ashore yesterday due to infection and its like the behavior of this shark is also due to poor health. |