Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 Characters & Character Analysis

Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 Important People

The Great White Shark

The great white shark that was suspected of being responsible for the attacks on the Jersey shoreline during July 1916, was a juvenile shark estimated to be about eight years old. It was seven and one-half feet in length and weighed three hundred pounds. When it was killed, human bones and flesh were found in his stomach. The experts later theorized that the shark was greatly weakened by hunger and fatigue or was sickly and was unable to hunt in the open waters, forcing it closer to shore to find its prey. It may have had problems getting sufficient nourishment when it was competing with larger predators in the hunt for prey during its southern migration. Its relative weakness may have caused it to get caught up in a strong current of the Gulf Stream, forcing it northward and inland.

The modern scientific consensus about this particular great white shark...
(read more)