Sea creature with ‘large wound’ washes up in New Hampshire. It was a bite, experts say

A ‘freshly deceased” harbor seal rolled out of the Gulf of Maine onto a New Hampshire beach, and the discovery got more intriguing when a large bite wound was found, experts say.

State Beach Patrol officers say the large marine mammal came ashore on the incoming tide Sunday, June 23, at Wallis Sands State Park in Rye, about a 40-mile drive east of Manchester.

“Once on-site, our responders noted that the sub-adult male harbor seal was freshly deceased with a large wound on the left side of its body,” Seacoast Science Center Marine Mammal Rescue reported.

“Shark researcher John Chisholm with New England Aquarium ... was able to confirm that the bite wound was from a white shark.”

Great white sharks are known to migrate north in the summer for cooler waters off New England. The seal was lucky enough to escape being eaten, but suffered fatal injuries in the process.

Harbor seals reach six feet in length and nearly 300 pounds, but are out-sized by great white sharks, which can grow to 21 feet and 4,500 pounds, NOAA Fisheries says.

Shark attacks on seals are not uncommon in the summer off New England, and humans are occasionally caught in the crossfire, experts say.

As a result, humans are warned to avoid being near seals when in the water.

“When it comes to great white sharks, most attacks on humans are thought to be caused by mistaken identity,” the University of New Hampshire reports.

“White sharks intend to target seals, a prey item that can look similar to a swimmer/surfer wearing a wet suit.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 6:25 AM with the headline "Sea creature with ‘large wound’ washes up in New Hampshire. It was a bite, experts say."