A mysterious and disturbing discovery along the Torrey Pines coastline has left a San Diego hiker searching for answers after finding several dead leopard shark pups on a trail near Black’s Beach.
The discovery was made last Sunday along the foot trail next to the glider port in Torrey Pines. Emily Dean said she and friends came across a half dozen juvenile sharks scattered along the trail — well above the high tide line.
“It just really, really broke my heart,” Dean said.
Dean said the pups were intact, partially covered in sand, with wet ground beneath them. The scene raised immediate concerns.
“No puncture wounds fully intact just clearly laid there to suffocate and dry out in the sun,” Dean said.
The unusual placement of the pups — far from the shoreline and spread out — prompted questions about how they got there.
Leopard sharks are known to give birth in shallow, warmer coastal waters this time of year. Seeking answers, NBC7 brought the details and photos to Professor Chris Lowe, a marine biologist at Cal State Long Beach.
“Somebody caught a pregnant female and was carrying her up the hill as they were doing that. She was aborting the pups,” Lowe said.
Lowe explained that leopard sharks reproduce through live birth, and under stress or threat, pregnant females can expel their young.
“That is a common thing that happens and sometimes if that happens in the wild some of those babies would survive,” Lowe said.
The theory could explain why the pups were found in multiple locations, as well as the sand and moisture surrounding them.
Lowe added that leopard sharks are sometimes caught for food.
“Probably a fisherman caught it and thought there is a lot of good meat there. The question is was it caught in a protected area? Which would make it illegal,” Lowe said.
Dean reported the discovery to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and also contacted police through a non-emergency line.
“It just feels like we should have more people down there protecting the wildlife,” Dean said.
While the circumstances surrounding the dead pups remain unclear, experts say the broader leopard shark population has rebounded in recent decades. Improved fishery management since the mid-1990s has helped stabilize their numbers, and the species is not considered endangered.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.