Hammerhead Pulled Ashore Appears to Give Birth – But There's Another Explanation

A hammerhead shark in a moment of distress when being dragged onto shore, appearing to be snagged on a line, seemed to "give birth" to a litter of pups, according to some. But there might be another explanation as to the smaller animals that wriggled their way back to the water from the shark.

A large group was on Panama City's Beach to witness Sunday's event. The YouTube user corky462 posted footage of it, stating that once the shark was pulled out, they realized it was "in the middle of giving birth to her pups."

Hammerhead shark pulled on shore in Panama City. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

"After being on shore for a minute or two, they got her back into the water and helped her start swimming again," the description continued, also stating that a fishing pole was not used to catch the shark.

But notice the lack of a hammerhead on the so-called pups and their small size.

Animals can be seen dropping off the shark, which some have identified as hammerhead pups, but others believe they are suckerfish. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

One commenter on the video not only identifies the "pups" as remoras, or suckerfish, but also notes that the hammerhead has claspers, which would indicate that it's a male.

Watch the footage:

The comments section for the video shows a significant negative response for someone pulling the shark on shore, even if it were to untangle it or remove a hook.

It is unclear if it is the same shark, but WMBB-TV reported a hammerhead at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City swimming close to shore Sunday as well. WMBB stated that rangers tried to get the shark back out into deeper water but it ended up dying.

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