DEL MAR, Calif. — DNA test results are in on the shark that bit swimmer Caleb Adams last month in Del Mar, and they confirm it was a white shark. Scientists have also determined that it was about 6-7 years old, so still considered a juvenile.
But what we don't know from those results is if it's still hanging out right off our coast.
“They're probably one of the most mysterious and interesting animals on the planet,” said Dr. Chris Lowe, Director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach. He says they tested DNA from Caleb's wetsuit. “The DNA came back as positive for white shark and that's not surprising based on the magnitude of the bite and based on the bite marks we estimate that shark was approximately 9 feet long.”
“That was pretty eye-opening to think about how big this animal really was,” Adams told CBS 8 this afternoon after getting the DNA results.
Adams also updated us on his condition. Despite the shark biting him in the chest, physically he's making a great recovery.
“I think my wounds reflect that it was only a portion of what the shark could have done, so I can consider myself really lucky. Every scenario seems to show up that I’ve had a tremendous amount of luck and goodwill that it’s allowed me to get through this in the condition I am – even if it was bad – not worse," Adams said.
Adams also punched the shark causing injuries to his hand, but he showed us that's healing nicely too. And in case you're wondering - yes, he is starting to swim again.
“Not in the open water right now. The pool is where I’m going to be for right now as I try to get – try to re-enter some of my old life," he said.
As for why the shark bit Adams, Lowe says that’s still a mystery.
“We don't really know why sharks occasionally bite people,” he said. “It could be that they're biting because they're in a feeding mode and mistake us as food or it could be that they bite us for defense reasons," Lowe said.
Lowe says sharks prefer to eat bottom feeders over humans.
“We are definitely not on the menu, because if sharks like to eat people, Southern California would be a Costco for sharks, right? We just don't see that," he said.
According to Lowe, they would also like to do some testing on the water to determine if these juvenile sharks are hanging around the Del Mar area or just passing through. He would also like to confirm - if they are hanging around - how many are out there.
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