'Squiggly shark' with 'rare' deformity hooked in Florida
Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife say the shark appears to have some form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column.
Watch: Shark with rare deformity snagged in Florida
A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A "squiggly shark" with an apparent tail deformity was discovered in Florida earlier this month – and researchers have revealed a possible explanation as to why it looks the way it does.
According to a report from FOX 35 in Orlando, Brian Tittle and his son were fishing in the backyard of their home in Titusville on June 3 when they hooked a young bull shark.
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A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.
(Brian Tittle / FOX 35 Orlando)
"It took us an hour to reel it in," Tittle told FOX 35. "As soon as I seen its tail, I knew something was wrong."
Tittle said he initially thought it could have been a broken tail or an injury from a propeller, but he wasn't too sure.
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![A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.]()
Image 1 of 4A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024. (Brian Tittle)
![A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.]()
Image 2 of 4A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024. (Brian Tittle)
![A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.]()
Image 3 of 4A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024. (Brian Tittle)
![A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024.]()
Image 4 of 4A shark with an apparent deformation, which wildlife officials revealed was a form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column, was found in Titusville, Florida, on June 3, 2024. (Brian Tittle)
So he and his wife snapped a few photos of the "peculiar-looking" creature and sent them to his friend with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Research Institute.
After taking a few photos and videos of the bull shark, Tittle and his son released it back into the water.
"I figured it had a tough life already," he said.
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Tittle said FWC researchers told him the shark had scoliosis. The research team also posted its findings on Facebook on Friday.
"The shark appears to have some form of scoliosis or spinal deformity affecting the vertebral column," researchers wrote. "While the condition is rare, our team has encountered similar anomalies in other shark and bony fish species. This particular shark was successfully released, but our team has x-ray images of other specimens, like this seatrout, where you can see the strange shape of the vertebral column."
"I feel bad keeping this one," Tittle said about the bull shark.