Woman With Shark Attached To Her Arm Rushed To Hospital

In a bizarre incident, a 23 year old woman was bitten by a shark and had to be transported to the hospital with the marine creature still latched on to her arm. According to reports, witnesses saw the woman emerging from the Boca Raton waters in Florida with a shark hanging from her arm.

As per a report, a two foot long baby nurse shark had grabbed onto the woman's forearm and refused to let go even as it was dying. "The shark wouldn't give up," said Shlomo Jacob, an eye witness. "It was barely breathing but it wasn't letting go of her arm, like it was stuck to her or something." According to Ocean Rescue Capt. Clint Tracy, the scene was something that he had never seen before or even heard of.

@FOXLA much better pic here pic.twitter.com/oaKoqAOLf4

— Mitchell Beck (@SCCM_Dude) May 15, 2016

The culprit is a member of the nurse shark species. The small sized sharks, that usually measure around 10.1 feet at full growth, are known for their easy going nature. According to local shark expert Jim Abernathy, the nurse shark was probably fighting back when it bit the woman. Abernathy believes that the woman possibly could have grabbed its tail, following which the shark turned around and bit her on the arm.

The species are common in the waters of Florida, and sometimes remain stationary on the ocean floor. The Nurse sharks have thousands of small, serrated teeth lining their strong jaws. A National Park Service brochure meant for visitors to Florida's beaches reads that the bite reflex of a nurse shark is so strong that it could be a couple of minutes before the creature will relax or release its tormentor.

A medical team used a splint board to hold the woman's arm and the shark was placed alongside on the stretcher on the way to the hospital. Meanwhile, according to a representative at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the woman was treated and in the process of being released.