Dateline 13-10-08
PART 2
Later on, it was clear that victim (Slovenian spear diver with just killed
fish on his divers belt) was bitten for lower part of the leg and
suffered serious wound. Fortunately, he received immediate medical care
and was transported by Croatian army helicopter to the Central Hospital in
Split were surgeons performed few complicated operations in order to save
his leg. Then I was notified that surgeons were able to recover small
teeth fragments from victims wound. Fortunately, teeth and jaws
characteristics of sharks are my exact subject of investigations and from
tip of one tooth (of only one centimeter in length) it was not difficult
to identify it as great white shark tooth, possibly from lower jaw. That
was a sort of surprise, as this attack was actually the third confirmed
record of great white shark in the eastern Adriatic since 1974, when last
attack, even fatal, occurred. The last record occured in 2003, also in
wider area of the island of Vis, when at open sea, a female specimen of
5.70 m in length and 2-2.5 tons of weight was caught in tuna purse seine.