A new study from researchers at the University of Florida details the first known attack of a cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis) on a live human. The victim, a long distance swimmer, was attacked in 2009 while swimming the channel separating the islands of Hawaii and Maui. Previously, cookiecutter bites have been found on drowning victims and assumed to have been post-mortem.
The cookiecutters jaw and tooth structure is unique, and the resulting wound is a nasty one. The bite scoops out a a golf-ball sized chunk of flesh and leaves a deep, round wound.
Researchers believe that cookiecutters use their bioluminescence to hide among schools of squid. When large fish like tuna are attracted to the squid, the small sharks attack.
Some computer animations..
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