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HONOLULU (AP) — Initial observations indicate a surfer was bit by an eel, not a shark, over the weekend off Hawaii's popular Waikiki Beach, but officials say they're working to confirm that.
The surfer was hurt Saturday, hours after witnesses said a tiger shark bit a 44-year-old man off Oahu's Lanikai Beach. Both men remain hospitalized.
State natural resource officials are waiting to interview the man hurt off Waikiki to make a final determination about which sharp-toothed creature bit him.
One official says this is the first time he has heard of a possible eel attack in Hawaii waters.
According to the Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii's coral reefs are home to a variety of eels, including some with large mouths and sharp, long teeth that help in capturing prey. They usually are not dangerous or aggressive unless provoked.
Saturday's bite off Lanikai Beach was the sixth confirmed shark encounter in Hawaii this year.
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