7-foot shark 'potentially dangerous to swimmers' washes up on Hilton Head beach

Early Sunday, Hilton Head beachgoers were startled to stumble across a dead shark lying on the beach.

The 7-foot-long sand tiger shark washed up just south of the Sonesta Resort, according to Mike Wagner, operations manager for Hilton Head Island Shore Beach Services.

Officers from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources responded to a request for assistance from Shore Beach Services at around noon. They loaded the carcass onto the trailer and transported it to a remote DNR disposal site, according to David Lucas, a spokesperson for the department.

The officers did not have any indication as to how the shark may have died, Lucas said.

Sand tiger sharks, which are relatively sluggish, are most often seen in shallow coastal waters, but can also be found offshore in considerable depths.

The sharks are considered "potentially dangerous to swimmers and divers and (have) been implicated in attacks in other regions of the world," according to online documents from DNR.

South Carolina anglers occasionally catch sand tiger sharks on artificial reefs, but the species is protected under state law and must be released if caught.

The shark species is characterized by a pointed snout, long and sharp teeth and a first dorsal fin that originates far back on the body, according to the DNR website.

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 1:06 PM with the headline "7-foot shark 'potentially dangerous to swimmers' washes up on Hilton Head beach."