Remains of a 3000-year-old shark attack victim discovered in Japan

A team of researchers led by archaeologists from Oxford have published a fresh paper revealing the discovery of a 3000-year-old shark attack victim. The remains show that the individual was attacked by way of a shark in the Seto Inland Sea of japan archipelago. The discovery of the 3000-year-old remains may be the earliest direct evidence for a shark attack on a human.

Researchers who discovered the remains have carefully re-created what happened utilizing a mix of archaeological science and forensic techniques. The shark attack victim’s remains were discovered while researchers were investigating evidence for violent trauma on the skeletal remains of prehistoric hunter-gatherers at Kyoto University.

The shark attack specimen is named No24 and is from the previously excavated site called Tsukumo. The remains are of a grown-up male that’s reportedly riddled with traumatic injuries. Researchers say these were confused initially with what could’ve possibly caused at the very least 790 deep serrated injuries to the person.

Researchers say there have been so many injuries to your body, yet he was still buried locally burial ground at the Tsukumo Shell-mound cemetery site. Researchers said the injuries to the remains were mainly on the arms, legs, and front of the chest and abdomen. Utilizing a procedure for elimination, researchers eliminated human conflict and animal predators or scavengers.

Researchers then considered forensic shark attack cases for clues and could actually patch together the attack. Researchers think that the average person died over 3000 years back, between 1370 and 1010 BC. They believe the distribution of the wounds suggests the person was alive through the attack noting that his left hand was sheared off, presumably a defense wound. Your body was recovered following the shark attack and buried by his people at the cemetery. The person was also missing his right leg, and his left leg was positioned on top of his body within an inverted position. Researchers believe because of the character and distribution of tooth marks; the shark was likely a tiger or white shark.