A brief 21-second video clip recently surfaced on Facebook, capturing a shocking scene in Varadero: a motorcyclist transporting a hammerhead shark, colloquially known in Cuba as "cornuda," with the shark's tail dragging along the street as he rides.
The video, shared by Christian Arboláez, has gathered over 78,000 views and sparked numerous comments on the social media platform, becoming one of the most talked-about topics in Cuban online communities this week.
In the footage, the voice of the person filming, who is riding another motorcycle, can be heard expressing amazement: "Look at this, dude, you're never going to see this, a shark, a hammerhead. Look at the size of that hammerhead. The tail is dragging."
The image of the shark—with its distinctive hammer-shaped head—being transported on a motorcycle ignited reactions across social media, where Cuban dark humor quickly found its outlet.
One user joked, "Sharks come to the beach looking for food... and they end up being the food themselves."
This incident occurred just three days after another large shark was captured in Varadero, an event that also went viral and generated a flood of comments.
According to the woman who documented that previous episode, the shark ended up "filleted."
That earlier case also produced one of the most shared phrases of the Cuban summer on social media: "That shark got confused with utopia," a direct reference to a recent statement by Miguel Díaz-Canel, who cited Eduardo Galeano to discuss the revolutionary horizon.
The summer of 2026 has been notable for the presence of sharks along Cuba's coastlines.
In mid-July, authorities temporarily banned swimming at Siboney Beach in Santiago de Cuba following the sighting of a shark approximately two meters in length. The beach reopened two days later after the threat was deemed no longer present.
In May, a shark weighing over 500 kg was caught in Baracoa, Guantánamo.
The hammerhead shark belongs to the family Sphyrnidae and is a species found in the Cuban Caribbean waters. The most common variety in the area, the bonnethead, is considered harmless to humans, reaching about 150 cm in length and inhabiting shallow bays and warm coastal zones.
Historically, shark attacks in Cuba are exceedingly rare: between 1749 and 2023, roughly 47 incidents were recorded across the archipelago, with 23 confirmed fatalities.
The last documented fatal attack occurred in November 2017 in Guardalavaca, Holguín.
Understanding Hammerhead Shark Sightings in Cuba
Why was the hammerhead shark transported on a motorcycle?
The reasons behind the transport of the hammerhead shark on a motorcycle are unclear; however, it has sparked significant attention on social media due to the unusual nature of the incident.
Are hammerhead sharks common in Cuban waters?
Yes, hammerhead sharks are present in Cuban Caribbean waters, with the bonnethead variety being the most common. They are generally considered harmless to humans.