A hammerhead shark recently fell onto the Sprinter City Disc Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A water spout can pull fish from the sea and then drop them on land, with the main culprits often being their common fish predators: Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), which I sadly lost for lunch.
This peculiar incident occurred on May 18th near Hole 11, a wooded area close to the ocean.
“It’s not uncommon to see Osprey carrying items, but it’s important to stay alert because it’s quite fascinating to observe,” shared Jonathan Marlowe, who witnessed the hammerhead’s fall while playing disc golf. He commented to Garden & Gun Magazine, “I initially thought it was just a random fish.”
Instead, it turned out to be a small, deceased hammerhead shark, easily recognized by its distinct, wide mallet-shaped head.
“Also known as,” Fish Hawk, “the Osprey is a remarkable aquatic predator and the only raptor with feet specially adapted for capturing slippery prey. They predominantly consume fish less than 12 inches (30 cm), while the hammerhead found on the golf course appears to exceed a foot in length.
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There’s a possibility the Osprey carried the hammerhead for at least half a mile (800 meters) from the sea before dropping it. Marlowe mentioned that two crows pursued the Osprey into a tree, from which it accidentally released the hammerhead onto the ground below. Crows and other smaller birds often employ a technique known as mobbing to protect their territory during breeding season by collaborating to drive away larger birds.
According to a post on the Myrtle Beach Disc Golf Facebook Page, wildlife such as snakes, raccoons, and crocodiles are common sights on local courses. However, encountering a shark in the woods is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We couldn’t believe our eyes and kept asking, ‘Did that really happen?'” Marlowe exclaimed.
Globally, there are 10 known species of hammerhead sharks, with several inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean off the southern U.S. coast.
Research conducted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources from 2013 to 2016 detection of three types of hammerhead: the Bonnet Head (Sphyrna Tiburo), the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna Lwini), and the Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna Mokaran), in coastal waters off South Carolina and Georgia. In 2013, a rare new species, the Carolina Hammerhead (Sphyrna Gilbert), was discovered in the same region. It closely resembles the Scalloped Hammerhead but is genetically distinct. It remains unclear which of these species fell from the sky at Myrtle Beach.
Source: www.livescience.com