Earliest victims

Photo 1. Recently proclaimed the world's earliest shark attack victim by Oxford archaeologists- buried over 3,000 years ago. From a fishing community on Honshu Island, Japan, he was found missing his right leg and left hand. His left leg was turned and placed on his chest, bones bearing the distinctive serrations of shark teeth. Jōmon man likely died on an ill-fated fishing trip to provide for his village, his companions salvaging his body for burial.

An ancient shark attack victim from Japan’s Honshu Island

Photo 2. Only last week claimed to be the true earliest shark attack victim. A skeleton found in 1976 in the ancient Peruvian coastal village of Paloma, which had flown under the radar, dated at around 6,000 years old. The young man from the Pacific coast was buried in an elaborate fashion within woven mats, but with one leg absent and severed by a bite. A seashell had been placed in his grave- perhaps a clue as to what he had done in life, and possibly how his life had come to an end.

The world's earliest known shark attack victim from the archaeological site of Paloma, Peru