Second Surfer Bitten Near Beach Where Shark Killed Wedding Guest

A second surfer has been injured in Northern California just two weeks after a man was killed in a suspected shark attack.

Officials arrived at the scene at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, just south of San Francisco, at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, after receiving a call from the surfer who had made it ashore following the attack.

The man had been surfing when he felt something biting his lower leg, a statement from the police said.

At the time, the surfer could not see what bit him, meaning the exact species of shark is unknown. He was taken to hospital for "non-life threatening" injuries, according to police. There has so far been no update on his condition.

It comes just two weeks after a 52-year-old man, who was later identified as Felix Louis N'jai, disappeared while in the waters off a beach in Point Reyes, which lies around 70 miles northwest of Linda Mar Beach. N'jai had been attending a wedding in the area, MailOnline reported, and had been an avid swimmer and kite surfer.

Officials in the area searched for him for days with no success.

The search later turned into a recovery effort, Point Reyes National Park Service reported at the time, meaning officials no longer expected to find him alive.

The exact species involved in this latest attack has not been confirmed, but great white sharks are known to swim in the waters around Northern California, particularly at this time of year.

Great white sharks frequent the waters of Point Reyes and Pacifica. They are most frequently sighted in these areas in the autumn months, when their preferred prey, sea lions, congregate in the area.

The sharks are often seen in the shallows, at depths of around 16 feet.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Newsweek earlier this month: "The probability of a white shark biting a person is higher in areas where the sharks are feeding on seals or sea lions.

"The sharks are cued in on seal-size animals spending time at the surface. A hungry white shark will target anything that might look and behave like an unsuspecting seal, including human swimmers."

Despite these recent incidents, shark attacks remain relatively rare. Sharks also do not hunt humans, and most bites are a case of mistaken identity.

The predators have long rows of incredibly sharp teeth, however, meaning they can easily inflict a lot of damage on a human.

The International Shark Attack File run by the Florida Museum reports that California is the state with the third-most shark attacks in the U.S. Since records began in 1837, the state has reported 136 unprovoked shark attacks. Florida tops the list for the most attacks, followed by Hawaii.

Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about shark attacks? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.