Horrifying shark attack sees dolphin ripped to pieces as its body washes up on the beach

A Reddit user noted that large sharks such as tiger sharks and great whites have "absolutely nothing to fear from dolphins and get away with it. will take with impunity"

One user confirmed this by saying that the "sharp, circular edge" of the bite mark is consistent with injuries inflicted by sharks (

Image: Reddit)

Horrifying photos show a dolphin almost torn to pieces by a shark that mutilated it just meters from a beach.

A young doctor observed and documented the life-changing ordeal in South Carolina, USA, and posted photos of the aftermath on Reddit.

He said, "Dolphin who was attacked by a shark in waist deep water, watched it all unfold before running aground."

A user confirmed this by saying that the "sharp, circular edge" of the bite mark is consistent with injuries inflicted by sharks.

The same person also noted that large sharks such as tiger sharks and great whites have "absolutely nothing to fear from dolphins and will prey on them with impunity".

A young doctor watched the bloody hunt in South Carolina, USA, and posted photos of the aftermath on Reddit (

Picture:

Reddit)

It was thought, however, that the shark was too small to have killed the first one, and probably only ate the remains once it saw the blood.

The editors thought a bull shark or tiger shark might have killed the dolphin initially.

A photo shows the fin and tail of a shark hiding in shallow water a few meters from the carcass.

The dolphin's throat appeared to have been ripped out - decapitating it almost entirely.

The news comes as two people were bitten by sharks on the same day last week in the popular resort town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Karren Sites of Pittsburgh told Myrtle Beach TV station WPDE that she was waist deep in the sea playing with her eight-year-old grandson when a shark approached her and bit his arm.

She said she fought off the animal until he freed her and it took "hundreds" of stitches.