Around 3,000 years old shark attack victim's remains discovered in Japan

TOKYO: A new paper published by a group of researchers led by archaeologists from Oxford University reveals the finding of a 3000-year-old shark attack victim's remains.

The remains indicate that the person was attacked by a shark in the Japanese archipelago's Seto Inland Sea.

According to the researchers, the remains are the oldest direct evidence of a shark attack on a person, with the sea predator causing 790 injuries on a man. about 3,000 years ago.

The remains of the shark attack victim were discovered while researchers at Kyoto University were investigating evidence of violent trauma on the skeletal remains of prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

ALSO READ: Assam police rescues 4 human trafficked girls, 3 held

Using a combination of archaeological science and forensic procedures, the researchers who unearthed the remains meticulously recreated what happened.

The remains are of an adult male with serious injuries, according to reports.

They were first perplexed as to what could have caused the man's at least 790 severe serrated injuries, said the researchers.

The injuries on the remains were mostly on the arms, legs, front of the chest, and abdomen.

Researchers ruled out human conflict and animal predators or scavengers through a process of elimination. Researchers said despite the fact that the body had several injuries, he was still buried in the community burial ground at the Tsukumo Shell-mound cemetery site, according to researchers.

ALSO READ: Assam: Missing man Sandeep Jalan found in Uttar Pradesh

Researchers then looked for signs in forensic shark attack cases and were able to piece the attack together. Researchers believe the person died between 1370 and 1010 BC, approximately 3000 years ago.

They believe the man was alive throughout the attack because the distribution of his injuries implies he was alive at the time, noting that his left hand was sheared off, possibly as a defence injury.

The man's right leg was missing, and his left leg was flipped on top of his body. The shark was most likely a tiger or white shark, according to the nature and distribution of tooth marks, said the researchers.

Follow us on Facebook