iStockphoto / Thierry Eidenweil
A fisherman in Captiva, Florida who specializes in catching sharks recently reeled in one of the rarest specimens caught in the Sunshine State this year, a beautiful piebald lemon shark with a unique pigmentation.
Piebaldism is very rare in nature. The occurrence of it is rare but even more so, the inherited genetic disorder that causes the absence of melanocytes in certain areas of an animal’s body presents a serious challenge in nature, just as albinism does. Without natural camouflage and/or protection from the sun, animals like this piebald lemon shark stick out like a sore thumb and make for easy prey when they’re smaller.
Recently caught by ‘Hunting For Jaws’, a fisherman in Florida who specializes in land-based shark fishing charters, he said this is “definitely the rarest shark (he’s) caught to date.” He also said it’s his first recapture that he is aware of, as this piebald lemon shark was previously tagged by another angler who caught it though details on that are unknown.
Hunting For Jaws shared video of this rare piebald lemon shark being caught in Captiva Island, Florida
@huntingforjaws A beautiful female, lemon shark with a rare genetic condition known as piebaldism, definitely the rarest shark ive caught to date also my first recapture… The shark had been previously tagged by another angler #lemonshark#piebaldism#shark#sharkfishing
If it’s still unclear why it is so rare to see piebaldism in adult animals in nature, think about it like this: which animal would be easier to spot, one with natural camouflage developed over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution or one that mostly white with huge black splotches causing it to stick out like a sore thumb?
Now put yourself in the role of a predator and think about how easy it is for predators to snipe off sharks, tarpon, and catfish with piebaldism. Here’s one more look at that incredible catch:
Lemon sharks grow up to 9-10ft and can weigh up to 200 pounds. But the fact that this piebald lemon shark was previously tagged by another angler indicates it is several years old.
My favorite aspect of this story is that it was caught in Captiva which is, coincidentally, the first place I ever saw a shark (other than nurse sharks) in the water in Florida and it was also a lemon shark! I was on vacation with my family as a little kid, we only lived an hour-ish away, and we went parasailing and I spotted a large lemon shark that the person operating the parasailing boat didn’t notice.
They then did that thing where they stop the boat and dip your feet in the water and we were probably 50 yards away from this 8+ foot lemon shark and I was hootin’ and hollering for them to smash the throttle. I’d previously caught a ton of different sharks while fishing in Florida but I’d never seen one swimming in the water like that until the Captiva trip. I’m only sharing the story because something about this piebald lemon shark unlocked that core memory.