Woman Rides To The Hospital With A Shark Still Latched On To Her Arm

Talk about not letting go. This shark stayed latched on to this woman after it sunk its teeth into her arm — even after it died.

According to Newsy's partners at WPTV, the 2-foot-long nurse shark bit the 23-year-old woman Sunday afternoon in Boca Raton, Florida. The woman had been snorkeling.

"Might have been startled by someone. She may have just brushed her arm into it and he might have grabbed on," said lifeguard Mike Glusac.

The National Park Service says nurse sharks tend to be more "laid back" than other sharks. A local conservationist told WPTV nurse shark bites happen several times a year. 

"Close to 100 percent of the so-called attacks are actually the case where someone is messing with the shark because it's so docile," shark expert and conservationist Jim Abernethy said. 

Nurse sharks live in shallow, warm waters, according to National Geographic, and typically grow to be 7.5 to 9.5 feet long. 

The woman was treated at a local hospital and has since been released. Unfortunately, the shark wasn't so lucky — officials say it died before emergency responders arrived on the scene.

This video includes images from Jonathan D / CC by 2.0 and Clevergrrl / CC By SA by 2.0.