A 16-year-old boy suffered a sting from a stingray yesterday at Myrtle Beach, SC, according to a report from WMBF News. The injury was originally reported as a shark bite by multiple local news outlets. However, doctors informed the victim, Matthew Breen, that he had suffered a sting from a stingray and not a bite from a shark.

Breen was swimming in waist deep water when the incident occurred. He said he saw a large amount of blood in the water and knew he needed to get to shore. It wasn’t until he was treated at a local hospital that he learned a stingray barb was the cause of his injuries. Breen is expected to make a full recovery.

UPDATE: WPED News Channel 15 has since reported that police confirmed “sharks” were responsible for the bites but had no confirmation of species.

According to a WPED News Channel 15, four people were bitten yesterday by an unidentified marine animal (or animals) while swimming/bathing at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The victims suffered various injuries to the legs, feet, and hands. However, none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The species involved in the attacks has/have not been identified. However, other media outlets, including ABC News have reported the incident as a “probable shark attack.”

Myrtle Beach Online reports that the bites took place over a ten-minute span between 72nd Avenue north and 82nd Avenue North, during the early afternoon. The bites were reported around 1:20pm. According to the report, photos of the bite marks are being sent to researchers at the University of Florida for review.

WARNING Video contains language that some might find offensive.

YouTube user ozfishwa posted the video above which documents a large shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) having a few goes at a fishing boat. According to the video description, the shark had been accidentally struck by Damo & Teeny Dwyer’s boat off Dampier, Western Australia. When they stopped the boat the shark made multiple approaches and bit the boat’s propeller.

One of the persons on-board is attempting to hook the mako in the latter part of the video using a piece of tuna as bait. While the mako does grab onto the line at one point, the fisherman is never successful at actually hooking the shark in the footage shown.

“Kids Ocean Day” saw multiple organized celebration events on the California coast, which were sponsored, in part, by the California Coastal Commission.

The event seen in the video above took place on the South Spit of Humboldt Bay at the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area and was filmed and shared on YouTube by Chad Johnson. The children at this event formed a giant eel along with the message of “Defend our Seas.” The event was organized by Friends of the Dunes.

At an event held at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, an estimated 5,000 children joined to form another “human mosiac,” according to a Contra Costa Times article. The mosaic took the form of shark holding a shield which read “Defend the Sea” and was based off artwork submitted by 6th grader, Breann Mancilla of Robert Frost Middle School. Artist John Quigley used Breann’s sketch to organize the human mosaic aerial artwork. The L.A. event was organized by the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education.

Another event at Huntington Beach involved 875 Orange County elementary school students joining together to form a smiling fish with the message “clean seas, please.” OrangeCounty.com has the full-story along with a photo of the children’s artwork.

Children involved in the events also helped to clean up the beaches by picking up litter. Congratulations to all the children involved for their great work!

Dan Crowell shared the video above which documents researchers from the University of Miami’s R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program tagging a 10′ (3m) bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). The team successfully and safely tagged and released the large bull shark, which was estimated to weigh between 800-1,000lbs (360-450kg), according to a Miami Herald report.

Fisherman Al McGlashan discovered the remains of a giant squid (genus Architeuthis) floating about 50km from Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia, according to the The Daily Telegraph. The carcass was believed to be relatively “fresh” due the presence of the squids red coloring. While McGlashan was filming the remains of the rarely-seen squid, a blue shark (Prionace glauca) arrived on the scene to feed on the carcass.

For the full story, visit The Daily Telegraph.

A recent study has identified two distinct white shark populations among Australian white sharks

A recent study published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series has identified the presence of two distinct white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) populations in Australia’s waters, according to a Phys.Org article. The study compared tissues samples from 97 “predominantly juvenile” Australian white sharks. The data from the tissues samples were used in conjunction with tracking data acquired through acoustic and satellite tags.

The study determined that the genetic makeup of white sharks found on Australia’s western seaboard differed from those found on the eastern seaboard. Data from the the white sharks sampled in the study implied that the sharks return to their geographical birth regions to breed, a behavior known as reproductive philopatry. The results of the tissue analyses were “broadly consistent” with tracking data from tagged sharks, which showed that white sharks from the western population tended not to travel east and vice versa.

For more information on the study visit Phys.Org and Inter Research Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Ryan Orellana-Maczynski, a 25-year-old man who was bitten on the left foot by a shark, is expected to make a full recovery, according to a report from WMBF News. Orellan-Maczynski sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his foot on Saturday (June 2, 2012) evening when a shark bit him near the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Reports indicated that the shark was still attached to Orellana-Maczynski’s foot when he exited the water. However, the species involved has yet be determined.

Pew Environment Group has released a video of Honduran law officials burning a pile of illegal shark fins, while Honduran president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, watched. President Lobo Sosa declared Honduran waters as a shark sanctuary last year. The burning of the illegal fins, which were primarily fins from nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), was intended to symbolize Honduras’ commitment to enforcing shark protection laws.

The Cape Eleuthera Institute recently shared a video featuring some footage of deep-water baited trial video surveys using the Medusa deep-sea survey equipment. The Medusa, on load to CEI from the Ocean Research and Conservation Assocation is capable of operating at depths as great as 2,000m. In addition to recording video footage, the Medusa also can record records conductivity, salinity, temperature, depth, and pressure.

The deep-water shark footage begins at about 2:25 and features Cuban dogfish (Squalus cubensis), sharpnose sevengill sharks (Heptranchias perlo) , and a bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus), who performs a Kamikaze style approach to the Medusa on its first appearance.

In addition to the shark footage, there is also video of other forms of deep-sea marine life who have come to check out the bait crates.

For more information, visit the CEI website.