Shark remains found with a drowned diver case clarified by researchers; unlikely predator involvement in Barría case

Scientists from Boston University and the University of Florida concluded that the shark involved is unlikely to have killed the man and probably fed on remains that were already dead. This assessment was reported by Live Science.
The remains of a man who disappeared in Argentina were recently recovered from the belly of a dead soup shark, Galeorhinus galeus. The animal had been caught by fishermen near the location where the man went missing.
Diego Barría, 32, a resident of Chubut province in Patagonia, was last seen on February 18. About four days later, local police discovered a damaged all terrain vehicle beside a split helmet on a nearby beach.
On February 26, fishermen near the shoreline hauled in three soup sharks. While they were processing the carcasses, a human arm was found inside the stomach of one of the fish. Police identified the man first by the tattoo on his arm, and later confirmed his identity through DNA testing.
Police suspect that Barría died after an accident possibly caused by striking a rock, with his body subsequently washing into the sea. Scientists from the two U.S. institutions also believe that it is very unlikely a shark killed Barría. Gavin Naylor, a marine biologist at the University of Florida, noted that a school shark would have less incentive to attack a person given the substantial size of such prey, and the arm-bearing shark measured about 1.5 meters in length.
Soup sharks primarily feed on flounder and sardines near the sea floor, but they also pursue larger fish and squid in open waters. The discovery underscores how predators opportunistically interact with human remains when incidents occur near coastlines.