New York officials say that sharks that bit two swimmers in the ocean off Long Island Wednesday were likely looking for food.
A 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy were bitten in two separate incidents while visiting Fire Island.
Environmental experts are saying heavy surf is churning up the water, creating poor visibility. They think two different sharks are responsible for the bites. A third shark was caught Thursday morning.
“There are a lot of foreign species out there, fish that are swimming around, which are bringing in a lot of things that eat them,” said Jim Gilmore with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
Both kids were bitten on the leg. A shark tooth was removed from the boy’s leg wound.
Marine experts are analyzing the tooth.
Both kids are expected to be OK.