Questions About Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

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Answered Questions (1)

It was a bull shark, not a great white. Two of the five victims were attacked in a narrow freshwater creek. Great whites cannot survive in fresh water. Bull sharks can thrive in both salt and fresh water. Why does the author claim it was a great white?

Robert Smithson The jury is still out as far as whether it was a White Shark or a Bull Shark. In all likelihood, it was not a single shark and it may have been one or…moreThe jury is still out as far as whether it was a White Shark or a Bull Shark. In all likelihood, it was not a single shark and it may have been one or more individuals of both species. Both are possible suspects and both species can be found here in NJ. Also, Matawan Creek is not freshwater. It is a tidal creek and it was rather larger in 1916 than it is today. Tidal creeks are salt/brackish water.

That being said, if it was a single shark that was responsible, my money would be on the juvenile White Shark caught in Raritan Bay two days after the attacks in the creek. (less)

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Unanswered Questions (2)

Other than the violence, is there any mature/inappropriate content?

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Help! I am so confused. How old is the shark? On page 39 it talks about how is was "probably born off Montauk, as early as 1908" and on page 55 is says, "After eight years, the shark had nearly doubled in size-" This leads me to believe the shark is 8, but then at the beginning of the chapter entitled, "Alien World" it reads, "Barely two years old, the young shark was at the beginning of an epic growth spurt."

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