During a shark attack, everything happens at a phenomenal speed making it almost impossible for the victim or the witnesses to identify positively the shark specie responsible of the shark attack. How do experts identify the culprit among approximately 350 shark species? Well, like detectives, they used the clues provided by the anatomy of the shark bite.

If they are lucky, they will find either a tooth or a fragment embedded into the flesh of the wound. Then, it is much easier to identify the shark specie responsible for the shark bite. A large triangular raggedy tooth will identify a great white shark, while a narrower and smaller tooth of similar shape will belong to a bull shark. A hook-shaped tooth will identify the culprit of a shark attack as a tiger shark.

In the event of the absence of shark teeth or some fragments, the experts will study the anatomy of the shark bite. A shark bite has its own signature. Experts will take into consideration the extent of the damages inflicted during the shark attack by analyzing some specific details of the shark bite.

The width of the shark bite will be measured to estimate the size of the shark. The wider is the bite, the larger is the shark. A cookie cutter shark will do much less damage than a great white shark.

The next observation will be based on the amount of damages caused by the shark attack. The more damages inflicted during the shark attack, the larger and more powerful is the responsible shark specie.

The shape and the depth of the shark bite will also be taken into consideration during the analysis. And finally, the tearing of the muscles will be very different from one shark specie to the next. Did the shark bite show a clean cut wound or some tearing of the muscles?

Let's look at some shark species and the type of shark bite each one of them would be responsible for. A great white shark would be responsible for deep wounds and possibly teeth embedded into the bones. You would notice a wide shark bite with severed bones, muscles and arteries. These wounds are NEVER superficial.

A bull shark would offer a similar type of shark bite but the width of the lesion would not be as large. The extent of the damages may be less severe. Like the great white shark, this type of bite is not superficial and it appears clean cut compared to other shark species.

A tiger shark, on the other hand, would offer a different type of shark bite. The shark teeth of this specie are strong and hook-shaped, which would crush bones, may not be as wide as some other species and would tear the flesh rather than look clean cut. A shark bite from a tiger shark would be more difficult to stitch up than a clean cut lesion done by a great white shark or a bull shark.

On the other hand, a cookie cutter shark shows a much smaller and narrower wound. The depth is superficial and the shape is circular as if a cookie cutter would have been used. It is often found on large fish and marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and whales. While victims of this type of shark attack often survive the ordeal, the pain and loss of blood affects the quality of life of the victim.