Essentially, thresher shark vertebral column is fortified along its length and might work like a catapult, allowing the tail to launch over the head. "We found that anatomy and microstructure ...

Paleobiology professor Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University led the study along with 28 other shark, fossil, and vertebrate anatomy experts ... notably the head and tail lengths of the O.

But a shark biting a person's head or shoulders is extremely rare ... "It was the most accessible part of the person's anatomy," Naylor said. Most scallopers essentially "walk along the bottom ...