A young woman put her foot on the boat rail, bracing herself to haul in a two-foot lemon shark for tagging. As Environmental Specialist Pat O’Donnell grabbed the shark, he did a double-take on her boot–Really, Timberlands? The extra-take took no more than a quarter-instant, just enough for the shark to sink its teeth into the boot toe.
Once that shark chomped, there was no shaking it off. The lemon was there to stay. Pat assessed the situation and asked his volunteer crew if anyone had a camera.
After the photo-shoot, tagging, and data collection, he used a screwdriver to pry the shark off and let it swim away. The imprint of the shark bite stayed, along with a few teeth. Their new owner couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the evening. Luckily Pat had been distracted by a steel-toed boot rather than something strappy with killer heels.