{"id":619839,"date":"2026-08-04T11:53:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619839\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T11:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T11:53:23","slug":"see-it-14-foot-great-hammerhead-shark-washes-ashore-in-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619839\/","title":{"rendered":"See it: 14-foot great hammerhead shark washes ashore in North Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"sub-text\">A large female great hammerhead shark was found dead on Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Officials have not determined the cause of death. But, when the shark was found, it had a deep laceration near the base of its tail, along with fresh puncture wounds in its mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\"><strong>CAROLINA BEACH, N.C.<\/strong> &#8211; A 14-foot great <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/animals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">hammerhead shark<\/a> washed ashore on the north end of Carolina Beach, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/local-weather\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">North Carolina<\/a>, on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/learn\/how-hurricanes-tropical-storms-impact-shark-movements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>HOW DO HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS INFLUENCE SHARKS?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">According to the North Carolina Shark Conservancy, the female shark was first reported through the organization\u2019s hotline around 3 a.m. after locals spotted the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/animals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">animal<\/a> in the surf multiple times.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">The shark later washed ashore just north of the pier at <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Carolina Beach<\/a> around 1:20 p.m.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"668\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cb-great-hammerhead-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">The female shark was found on the north end of Carolina Beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"sub-text\"><strong> (\u00a0North Carolina Shark Conservancy \/ FOX Weather)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">The agency sent volunteers to the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/beaches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">beach<\/a> to collect measurements, photographs and biological samples for genetic research and educational purposes.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">The North Carolina Shark Conservancy said that due to the shark\u2019s size, volunteers worked with multiple agencies, including the Carolina Beach Fire Department and the Carolina Beach Police Department, to safely handle the animal\u2019s removal and disposal.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/earth-space\/nypd-tracks-sharks-from-above-drones-beaches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>EYES IN THE SKY: NYPD USES DRONES TO TRACK SHARKS OFF NEW YORK CITY BEACHES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"668\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2162041907.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Great hammerhead sharks are the largest species of hammerhead sharks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"sub-text\"><strong> (El Nuevo Herald\u00a0 \/ Getty Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">The cause of death has not been determined. But, when the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/wildlife\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">shark<\/a> was found, officials saw a deep laceration near the base of its tail that may have affected its ability to swim, along with fresh puncture wounds in its mouth associated with fishing gear.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/earth-space\/atlantic-shark-institute-hammerhead-shark-block-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>ATLANTIC SHARK INSTITUTE TAGS ITS FIRST-EVER HAMMERHEAD SHARK OFF COAST OF RHODE ISLAND<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">Great hammerhead sharks are the largest species of hammerhead sharks and belong to the family Sphyrnidae, according to the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Florida<\/a> Museum of Natural History.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"668\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2227923775-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Hammerhead shark swims in the ocean.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"sub-text\"><strong> (Tahsin Ceylan\/Anadolu via Getty Images \/ Getty Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">Female great hammerheads can typically grow between 16 and 20 feet long, while males are generally smaller.<\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/earth-space\/great-white-shark-bretons-latest-location-surprising-scientists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>MASSIVE 1,400-POUND GREAT WHITE SHARK BRETON RAISES QUESTIONS AFTER IT PINGS OFF FLORIDA COAST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-v-438398f6=\"\">The species is commonly found in warmer waters. In the western Atlantic <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fxw_earth-space_article_main-content_article-body_2_13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxweather.com\/category\/ocean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ocean<\/a>, great hammerheads range from North Carolina south to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean regions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A large female great hammerhead shark was found dead on Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Officials have not determined&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[273],"tags":[100,13047,18,19,17,3280,3619,133,172982,107,461],"class_list":["post-619839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-beaches","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-north-carolina","tag-ocean","tag-science","tag-stay22","tag-us","tag-wildlife"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117037106422717874","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}