Manuel Lopez will be our focus in this article.We will look at the 2023 first shark attack victim. We will also look at the kinds of sharks that attack humans.
Who was Manuel Lopez?
He was a 53 year old man from Mexico.
The Mexican was harvesting shellfish when the unusual attack happened.
53 year old Manuel Lopez was gathering “ax tripe” which is a type of mollusk.
The first ever shark attack in 2023 occurred off Benito Juárez in Sonora on 5th January.
It is a town in the west coast of Mexico.
Manuel Lopez who might have been a good diver,moved from the town of Paredón Colorado to the ocean floor, according to Tracking Sharks reports.
The 53 year old Manuel Lopez did this without an oxygen tank to nab the critters.
To harvest the shellfish, Manuel Lopez, had to move to a depth of 36 to 59 feet which he ought to have been wearing the oxygen tank.
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Though, divers have been warned of the presence of the sharks. Manuel Lopez was aware of the risk, but thought he can make a quick cash, with the shortage of shellfish in the system.
The Tracking Sharks report said,Jose Bernal, an eyewitnesses said:“He was diving when the animal attacked him, impressively ripping off his head and biting both shoulders.”
What kind of shark attacked and killed Manuel Lopez?
The shark was said to be about 19 foot long and was of the white shark category.
The great shark decapitated its victim’s head.
It is not clear what might made the predator to attack him.
experts believes the shark was attracted by turbulence and the sounds that Manuel Lopez made at such a great depth.
It has been said that Sharks always mistake humans in wetsuits as seals. This often result in sharks taking “experimental” bites on them.
If they detect that their victim is not a seal as they expect, they often move away.
However such an experimental bite can kill its victim or render them with life threatening injuries.
This sterns from the kind of serrated and meat-shreaing teeth which the sharks possess.
Sharks are often prevalent in the Gulf of California around the months of December and January.
This increases the chance of humans being mistaken as seals in the sea, Tracking sharks reports.
Their report also said that pregnant sharks are often in a search for fat-filled sea lions during this time.
Britannica.com reports that aside, white sharks, Tiger sharks also attack humans.White Sharks have an erratic presence in the American Coastal waters, where Manuel Lopez was attacked.
Tiger, bull, Oceanic Whitetip, blue and Hammerhead are other groups of sharks that attack humans.
The Britannica report say the bigger the shark, the more deadly the attack will be. Most of the attacks as alluded earlier occurred mostly in the Southeastern Coast of the America.
Sharks attacks on humans are said to be due to the following factors.
The attacks occur when sharks are hungry, harassed and or defending their territories.
Most factors that makes sharks to attack humans are mostly due to mistaken identity.
Britannica.com group sharks attacks under the following classifications.
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Shark sightings
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Shark encounters in which there is no bite but that may involve contact with a kayak, surfboard, or other object
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Shark bites resulting in nonfatal injuries
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Fatal shark bites
