La Manzanilla message board

Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 8:42 am Edited by board administrator April 1, 2023, 9:14 am Last evening I started smelling dead fish and figured that the dog that came to my office had rolled in something. I washed my hands, changed my shirt and later my pants but kept smelling it. I burned incense, looked all over for the source of the smell but found nothing. This morning I opened the door and there was a dead, mutilated baby hammer head shark about 24 inches long up by the door with flies all over it! So, found the source, no idea how or why it got there. If someone wanted to make this public knowledge they succeeded. I don't have any enemies amongst the fishermen that I know of, and I don't think any of them do real estate To my knowledge there used to be hammer head sharks in the bay something like 50 years ago but none since then. Also To my very limited knowledge there are no sharks anywhere around the area. If anyone talks to the fishermen ask them about this and post the info here, curious minds want to know.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Dan Patman on April 1, 2023, 10:33 am, in reply to "Baby hammerhead shark" That is a juvenile scalloped hammerhead. Hard to tell in the photo but looks like a female due to lack of claspers. There are sharks in the area, not so many in the various local bays as they have been overfished, they now tend to be further offshore. Not too far north of Tenacatita I have seen large female (3.5m long) scalloped hammerheads and also a decent 3.5m to 4m long bull shark that have been caught not too far offshore. The bull shark was actually caught off the beach in Majahuas just in front of Tomatlan. Diving not too many years ago near Blue Bay I saw a nurse shark, and diving off Manzanillo on the open ocean side years ago on the Zeta Gas depot i saw what i think was a large hammerhead only about 400m offshore. The problem apart from local fisherman using the longlines and killing many sharks, is the tuna companies in Manzanillo, they absolutely decimated the local shark populations years ago chasing the tuna schools and bait balls, hence not so many sharks close to the shore nowadays.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Jeanne C on April 1, 2023, 11:33 am, in reply to "Baby hammerhead shark" I know this is a vague response, but just yesterday I saw a photo that was posted either here on the message board or on one of the local Facebook pages, La Manzanilla Life or Costalegra Amigos. It was of a number of red snappers in a crate, and on top was a baby hammerhead. Maybe the fishermen discarded that shark, and some dog decided to chew on it--right outside your door, Daniel.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Debra K. on April 1, 2023, 11:37 am, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" When we were at La Vena a month ago at flood tide...my son saw a small shark came up into the river to feed on the small Jack's that were feeding on the smaller anchovies! It was less than 1 meter long but we were very surprised! Water was crystal clear as tide came up river so no mistaking. But not a hammerhead

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 11:47 am, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Its possible, but normally Peter takes all the fish cascaras to the Lagoon on his bike with a bucket on the back. Need a photo of that for history or some such ####

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Dan Patman on April 1, 2023, 12:25 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Most sharks can tolerate fresh or brackish waters for a short time. However the bull shark has a unique physiology that allows it to retain certain things in its body. They have been found 1800km inland and in no bad health at all. Bull sharks are often in river / estuary mouths feeding on fish in the shallow turbid waters.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Debra K. on April 1, 2023, 3:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Thank you for posting that interesting info Dan

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Faith S on April 1, 2023, 2:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" I took the photo Jeanne mentioned on the 29th.. It was the boat on the beach closest to the crocodile bar. That could change daily?

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Jeanne C on April 1, 2023, 2:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Can you repost that pic here, Faith?

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 2:54 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" I see dead fish on the beach quite often, it usually takes more than a day for them to really start stinking. The strength of the smell of this shark makes me think that your photo of the 29th may be just about the right amount of time

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Guillermo GARCIA on April 1, 2023, 3:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" I saw a hammerhead in the fisherman’s daily catch

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Anneli on April 1, 2023, 3:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Oh poor poopsie! He looks like ET.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 3:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" What a weird place for an eye, doesn't look very happy. Wouldn't it be strange if fish closed their eyes when they died.

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Anneli on April 1, 2023, 4:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" “Fish live underwater so the risk of their corneas being exposed to the air is not an issue to them. So they do not have eyelids“ 😔 We don’t close our eyes either, they are closed for us. 🙏🏽

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 4:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" If they can't wink how do you know when they are joking?

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Robbie Boyes on April 1, 2023, 5:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" Daniel ..I imagine that on April fools day the sharks are full of jokes. Winklerss ones!

April fools day Posted by Daniel H on April 1, 2023, 5:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Baby hammerhead shark" The answer is.......the other fish are laughing. U are the first to remember that it is April fools day I asked Chatty - Do they do April fools day in Mexico? - "April Fools' Day, as it is known in the United States and some other countries, is not commonly celebrated in Mexico. However, Mexico has its own version of a prank day, called "Día de los Santos Inocentes," which is celebrated on December 28th. The holiday is similar to April Fools' Day, with people playing practical jokes and pranks on each other. Día de los Santos Inocentes has its roots in a religious tradition that commemorates the biblical story of King Herod's massacre of the innocent male infants in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Over time, the solemn nature of the day has evolved into a more light-hearted occasion, with people taking advantage of the day to play tricks on friends and family members

Re: Baby hammerhead shark Posted by Don F on April 2, 2023, 9:46 am, in reply to "Baby hammerhead shark" Well done. Hook,line and sinker!

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