VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., July 7 (UPI) -- The real-life version of Sharknado proved to be far less threatening than its Syfy counterpart when a small shark fell from the sky into a Virginia back yard.
Sue Bowser of Virginia Beach said her grandchildren found the 13-inch dogfish shark, also known as a sand shark, dead near a pond in her back yard about two weeks ago.
"This could be the shark house, but hopefully not too many more will be falling from the sky," Bowser told WAVY-TV. "The kids found it, and they came upstairs and they were all excited and said, 'We found a shark in the backyard.'"
Bowser said she suspects the baby shark was the victim of an osprey that lost its lunch.
"There's a little mark on his side where the talons probably went in, and it's a little bloody on the side where the talons had poked him," she said.
Susan Barco, research coordinator and senior scientist with the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Foundation, said it would not be unusual for an osprey to grab a dogfish shark pup from the shallow waters where they are born.
Bowser said she is keeping the shark frozen as an object of curiosity.
"I would like to preserve the shark because a lot of people have asked about it and I think it's just so unique," she said.
