Types of Sharks in Fort Pierce, Florida
The city of Fort Pierce is located on the southeast coast of Florida, halfway between Melbourne to the north and Palm Beach to the south. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the brackish waters of the Indian River and a series of barrier islands featuring state parks. Various shark species, both dangerous and harmless, have commonly been spotted in the waters of the ocean and the river.
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Large Dangerous Sharks
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Some shark species are particularly dangerous, the most well known of these being the great white and the mako. They are rarely, if ever, spotted in the water near Fort Pierce, but other sharks spotted there have been known to attack humans. Seventeen species of requiem sharks include the oceanic white tip shark, the bull shark and the tiger shark. The white tip is the shark usually associated with fatalities, though the tiger and bull sharks, which have been spotted swimming offshore and in the river, are also considered dangerous. They often grow as long as 18 feet. The great hammerhead is found in these waters as well. The slow-moving nurse shark may be dangerous if provoked.
Smaller Dangerous Sharks
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Smaller sharks that pose a danger to humans include the silky shark, the black tip shark, the Atlantic sharpnose shark and the sandbar shark. The silky, since it swims far out in the ocean, rarely comes into contact with humans, but has been known to attack. Black tips rarely attack. Sandbar sharks rarely attack, having accounted for only five percent of attacks from 1920 through 2010.
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Harmless Sharks
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Up to 45 feet in length, the huge whale shark has been seen in the water off Fort Pierce. Small hound sharks include the smooth dogfish and the rarely seen smooth hound. Scalloped hammerheads and bonnetheads are spotted, but are not known for attacks. The basking shark, which migrates in winter to the warm waters off Florida's coasts, generally floats near the ocean's surface and is not aggressive. The Cuban dogfish is common and harmless; vitamins and oils are made with its liver. Thresher sharks are found in these waters, though they present no threat to swimmers near shore. Spinner sharks swim vertically up through schools of prey fish, bursting through the water's surface, but are not known for aggressiveness toward humans.
Shark Attacks and Fatalities
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According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fort Pierce's home county of St. Lucie has no confirmed fatalities due to shark attacks from the years 1882 through 2010. When you include Indian River county to its north and Martin county to the south, one fatality in each county has occurred. Within that span of years, the total number of attacks for St. Lucie county is 29; 17 for Indian River; and 27 for Martin County. Considering the millions of people who visit the area each year, shark sightings may be plentiful, although attacks are relatively rare.
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