Baby hammerhead shark falls from the sky on Myrtle Beach golfers

Time of India

a day ago

A casual round of
disc golf
turned surreal in
Myrtle Beach
,
South Carolina
, when a baby
hammerhead shark
fell out of the sky and landed near Hole 11 of the
Splinter City Disc Golf Course
. The incident occurred on the morning of 18 May, just half a mile inland from the Atlantic Ocean.
Jonathan Marlowe, 44, who witnessed the event with three friends, said it began when they spotted an osprey overhead carrying what looked like a fish.
'It's not uncommon to see an osprey carrying something, but you take note because it's really cool to see,' Marlowe told Garden & Gun magazine.
Moments later, two crows swooped in, harassing the osprey as it flew above the course. Under pressure, the raptor dropped its catch into a nearby wooded patch.
Initially thinking it was a routine fish drop, Marlowe's group approached the scene. But what they found was unexpected.
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'The group watched as two crows chased the osprey into some trees. When the osprey then dropped its breakfast, the group went to investigate. They assumed it was a fish at first, but the closer they got, they realised it was something more extraordinary: a baby hammerhead shark measuring about 1 foot long,' ABC News reported.
'I've never even seen a hammerhead in real life, and here's a baby one on the ground that literally fell out of the sky,' Marlowe told the outlet.
The shark's wide, T-shaped head left no doubt about what they were looking at. Though it was small and unmoving, the shock of the moment kept the group frozen for several moments.
Marlowe explained that the Splinter City course, opened in 2020, is often teeming with nature. Sightings of raccoons, snakes, and even alligators aren't uncommon. He's seen owls perched in the trees.
But this was different.
'We couldn't believe it and kept asking ourselves, 'did that really just happen?'' he told Garden & Gun.
The group left the shark under the tree, considering that the osprey might return for it. Later that day, another player commented on Marlowe's Facebook post confirming the shark was still lying there.
The local disc golf community was quick to weigh in. Myrtle Beach's Disc Golf Facebook page noted that while the area does see its share of animals, a shark on the course was a first.
South Carolina's coastal waters are home to several species of hammerhead sharks. A 2013–2016 survey by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources documented bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), and great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) along the state's shores. A newly identified species, the Carolina hammerhead (Sphyrna gilberti), was also discovered in 2013.
These sharks can grow up to 20 feet and weigh over 1,000 pounds. They typically live between 20 and 30 years. The
baby shark
dropped by the osprey was estimated at just one foot in length, and its species remains unclear.
The players did consider whether to try returning the shark to the sea.
'The disc golf course is adjacent to Myrtle Beach State Park and is about half a mile from the ocean, so the group considered taking life-saving measures to return the shark to the water,' ABC News reported.
However, the group ultimately decided against it, judging that the shark likely wouldn't survive the trip back.
For Marlowe, the event is a strange but memorable reminder that nature doesn't follow the rules of the game.
'It's a place where we often see wildlife,' he said. 'But never something like this.'
While hammerhead sharks are no strangers to South Carolina's waters, seeing one delivered mid-game by a bird of prey is a twist that even seasoned golfers won't soon forget.