White Shark? Dolphin? White Shark?

For our money this is a dolphin, here's why:

1. No tail, white sharks tails are vertical, if you can see the dorsal on this critter you should be able to see the tail.

2. This story was brought to you by a U.K paper-home to the guys who brought you last month's White shark in Wales.

For those of you who subscribe to Occam's Razor...yeah you're looking at it.

"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate"

White Shark at Ocean Beach-San Francisco

The boys over the The Fear Beneath blog posted the following shark report. For some states the heralding of late summer and fall comes with the turning of leaves. For us here in Nor Cal...it is the arrival of the Great White sharks:

On September 19, 2008 Evan Kinkel was surfing at Ocean Beach near Sloat Blvd., San Francisco. Kinkel reported; “I had been in the water about 45 minutes prior to a large fishing boat passing North of my location just outside the breakers. Seagulls circled and dove behind the boat and you could certainly see the chum that they were after. The thought did occur to me that seagulls wouldn’t be the only marine life these fishermen were attracting.

Not five minutes later a 10 – 12 foot White Shark was thrashing just outside the line up and I wasn’t the only one to notice. Myself and some others paddled in while others chose to remain in the water, the waves were good so I suppose they where willing to risk it. I also alerted my sighting to surfers on the beach about to head out.”

Shark kills surfer off Mexico's Pacific coast

Bad shark related news from Mexico yesterday as yet another surfer shark attack and death was reported. This time less then 6 miles from a previous fatal attack and death of an American last month.

Incredibly, as we were blogging about that attack, another surfer was attacked in the same area. While environmentalists managed to stave off an all out shark hunt last month up and down the coast...this time we're not so sure they'll be as effective.

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- A shark injured a 49-year-old American surfer Saturday off the Pacific coast of Mexico, in the third attack in a month.

The Mexican Navy deployed personnel to warn people about sharks at beaches in Zihuatanejo, a resort northwest of Acapulco, according to a Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

He said authorities have not closed beaches in Zihuatanejo, but people were being advised against swimming. A day earlier (Friday), a 21-year-old Mexican surfer was killed by a shark off a nearby beach. The two attacks came a month after a shark killed a San Francisco man surfing in the same area.

Local Civil Protection director Jaime Vazquez Sobreira said the American attacked Saturday lost his thumb but managed to get to a hospital on his own and was in stable condition. The Guerrero state Public Safety Department identified the man as Bruce Greems but did not give his hometown in the U.S. Vazquez Sobreira said he lived in Zihuatanejo. The U.S. Embassy confirmed an American had been bitten by a shark but did not have additional information.

Mexican authorities used baited hooks to catch sharks last month after the attack that killed 24-year-old Adrian Ruiz of San Francisco. Local conservationists protested the hunt, and it was not immediately clear if authorities would do it again.

Arturo Sabas de la Rosa Camacho, the Guerrero state environment secretary, said the government would hold meetings in Zihuatanejo next week with tourists, environmentalists, shark experts and fishermen to determine what actions to take.

"We need scientific explanations for the shark presence, and if it's because of climate changes," he said.

Cold currents and an abundance of giant squid and other prey may be attracting sharks to the area, said Jose Leonardo Castillo Geniz, a shark expert with the National Fishing Institute. He said a large shark presence was unusual for the region.

Geniz said the authorities should close beaches in Zihuatanejo instead of killing sharks. He also called for aerial surveys to determine what species has been attacking surfers. Aida Navarro, of the environmental group Costasalvaje, urged the government to post warning signs at Zihuatanejo's beaches.

"Killing sharks is not the solution to preventing encounters with humans," Navarro said. She noted that some shark species are under threat from overfishing.

Two Shark Attacks-Two Worlds

After the shocking and sad news from Solana Beach last week more news came in of another fatal attack-this time on a American surfer in Mexico.

The reaction on the US side to the unfortunate event in Solana was anything but vengeance for the shark. In fact the media and the California public, for the most part, understood the white sharks place in the oceans.

Not so on the Mexican side of the border. The shark attack at this site has been met with baited hooks and overall hysteria.

Two shark attacks-two worlds.

Mexico's hunt for shark that killed second California surfer draws protest

ACAPULCO -- Authorities used baited hooks to catch sharks today near a Mexican beach where a U.S. surfer was killed in an attack. Adrian Ruiz, 24, of San Francisco bled to death after being bitten on the thigh Monday while surfing off Troncones beach west of Acapulco.

Mexico's Navy and maritime authorities said they have strung about 200 yards of lines with baited hooks near the beach in an attempt to catch sharks that may be using the area as a feeding ground.

Emergency personnel are warning beachgoers about sharks' presence near the largely undeveloped oceanfront, said local civil defense Director Jaime Vazquez.

It is not clear what species was involved in Monday's attack, but Navy Cdr. Arturo Bernal said that helicopter overflights had sighted two great white sharks nearby.