Unexpected shark stories making waves this season

Sharks continue to reveal unexpected behaviors. Notable events include a young shark named LeeBeth making a historic 2,000-mile journey from South Carolina to Mexico, and a 19-year-old swimmer in Texas who instinctively fought off a shark attack.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

Jekyll was caught near Jekyll’s Island off the coast of Georgia by Ocearch.

NO. 1: 2 GREAT WHITE SHARKS JUST APPEARED ALONG THE SC COAST. TAKE A LOOK

A couple of great white sharks were just spotted along the South Carolina coast. Here’s how you can track them. | Published January 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Patrick McCreless

Trawlers in the South China Sea caught a toothy animal, able to glow in the dark, and discovered a new species, scientists said in a study. Photo shows a representative ocean.

NO. 2: DEEP-SEA CREATURE — ABLE TO GLOW IN THE DARK — CAUGHT BY TRAWLERS. IT’S A NEW SPECIES

The toothy animals were hauled in by fishermen in the South China Sea, researchers said. | Published January 26, 2024 | Read Full Story by Aspen Pflughoeft

“LeeBeth” was the first white shark of the season that Hilton Head Charter Captain Chip Michalove tagged and released on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. She weighed between 2,600 and 2,800 pounds, was about 14 feet long and her journey can be tracked on the Sharktivity app.

NO. 3: SHARK’S 2,000-MILE JOURNEY FROM SOUTH CAROLINA TO MEXICO MAKES HISTORY, EXPERTS SAY

“Most stopped around the Mississippi River, but LeeBeth kept going.” | Published March 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus), Aliwal Shoal, Indian Ocean, South Africa

NO. 4: SURFER ESCAPES INJURY AFTER SHARK BUMPS HIM OFF BOARD IN CALIFORNIA. ‘I’M SO LUCKY’

“When that thing hit me from below, I knew right away that it was a shark.” | Published May 28, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

Damiana Humphrey punched a shark she said had bit her off the Texas coast.

NO. 5: 19-YEAR-OLD SAYS SHE PUNCHED SHARK BITING HER OFF TEXAS COAST. ‘IT WAS JUST INSTINCT’

“It felt like a dream because of how fast it happened,” she said. | Published June 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

NO. 6: DEEP-SEA PREDATOR — WITH 24 ROWS OF TEETH — CAUGHT BY ANGLERS. IT’S A NEW SPECIES

The 1-foot-long animal discovered off the coast of India had “large” “turquoise” eyes. Take a look. | Published July 18, 2024 | Read Full Story by Aspen Pflughoeft

A great white shark described as “giant” was found dead on a Cape Cod beach, and police took the unusual step of calling a tow truck to remove it.

NO. 7: ‘GIANT’ SHARK APPEARS ON CAPE COD BEACH, PROMPTING ODD CALL FOR TOW TRUCK, COPS SAY

“Not one of our typical calls,” police said. | Published October 15, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mark Price

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.