A 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark on Monday night at the Cape Henlopen State Park in Sussex County, Delaware.
According to reports, the boy was standing in about five feet of water when he felt something yank on his arm.
The boy managed to stay on his feet and looked down to see the shark swimming away.
He was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, where doctors confirmed that the wound was caused by a shark bite.
The boy was treated and released, and other than a scar, he should recover fairly quickly.
The beaches in Sussex County were closed Monday evening and reopened Tuesday with lifeguards standing watch.
The lifeguards are looking for any signs of a shark in the area, but are not sure what type of shark is responsible for the attack.
Bull sharks are responsible for the most attacks on humans, but the boy was not sure if it was a bull shark that attacked him.
The fact that the shark let go of the boy after biting him and did not choose to pull him out to sea or swallow his arm, shows that the shark must have mistaken him for prey. Sharks do not hunt people, and when they do attack, it is usually because they thought the person was a seal or another animal they hunt.
When a shark bites something and realizes it is not what it thought it was, it spits it back out. If the shark would have wanted to eat the boy, it would have put in more effort and not have left the scene of the attack so quickly and easily.
Lifeguards will likely monitor the beaches throughout the week for any signs of shark activity, but it is likely that the shark is long gone by now.
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