Remember a couple weeks ago we were talking about those big sharks rumored to be passing through the Long Island waters? Well, we’ve got an update on one of them and it’s a lot bigger than anybody anticipated. Do we have a mutant shark in our water??
A nearly 12-foot mako shark dubbed “Sharkzilla” has been cruising the waters off Long Island, and she apparently has a serious appetite. Scientists found a 24-inch bite mark in a humpback whale, a 22-inch chunk taken out of a gray seal, and evidence that she had been attacking massive tuna.
Naturally, scientists had to ask the obvious question: what the hell is in the water?!
That led to a pretty wild theory. Researchers discovered that about 15,000 barrels of nuclear waste were dumped in the Hudson Canyon in the late 1960s, and some were reportedly leaking when they were checked years later. So, the possibility was raised that radioactive exposure had somehow turned an ordinary mako into a genetically enhanced super-shark.
Basically: Jaws meets Godzilla meets the LIRR.
Thankfully for everyone who enjoys swimming in the Atlantic, the tests came back with a much less terrifying answer: Sharkzilla isn’t radioactive. DNA and tissue testing indicated she’s simply an enormous female mako—and researchers believe she was pregnant and aggressively hunting to feed herself and her future pups.
So no, we don’t think we have a mutant shark. But, in better, but still bad news: Long Island does apparently have a 12-foot pregnant mako with a whale-sized appetite. Maybe stick to the pool for the last couple of weeks of summer, eh?