Clearwater Man Possibly Attacked By Dolphin

A man swimming off Sand Key said he came face-to-face with a dolphin. Then things got surprising.

While going for a swim, the man noticed a dolphin and they each stopped. Once face-to-face, the man said he realized he need to get away. In his attempt to swim away, the dolphin grabbed his hand in its mouth. According to dolphinconnection.com, Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins have up to 100 teeth they use for holding prey. Left bloodied by the attack, a trip was made to the emergency room.

According to Clearwater Marine Aquarium's dolphin experts, it's not clear from photos if the bite was from a dolphin, and that it's possible that another animal that bit the man. Also, it's possible that a dolphin accidentally attacked the man.

After the attack, the man has this reminder: these are wild dolphins, not little play things.

[Source: News Channel 8]