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An 11-year-old girl was hospitalized on Thursday, September 16, after she was bitten by a shark in South Padre Island, Texas.
The girl was injured in the thigh while visiting the beach with her family from Colorado. The family told emergency responders that they saw a shark in the water nearby.
She was taken to the hospital, but her condition is unknown.
“We are thankful that the injuries are not worse,” South Padre Island Fire Chief Jim Pigg told KVEO. “Shark bites are rare on South Padre Island.”
Authorities didn't provide details about the shark.
Shark bites are rare, but sharks are not. Around 40 species of shark live in the Gulf of Mexico, but they prefer to hang out in deeper water instead of at the beach.
Recently, fishers have reeled in some large sharks off the Texas Gulf Coast. One woman caught an 11-foot-long hammerhead while a guy pulled in a 1,000-pound tiger shark.